DOUBLE!

God didn’t bring me this far 

to leave me stranded at the door of trouble

But He promised to walk with me through this wilderness into my land of double

Double for every tear I’ve cried 

and for everything I’ve lost

Double for what I paid to get this far, 

which was a very high cost

Double for those who didn’t understand 

and those who walked away

Double for those who really cared 

but just didn’t know what to say

Double for every moment I spent alone 

when I really didn’t want to be

Double for the hurt inside when I felt 

they didn’t even think about me

Double for what I thought I wanted, 

for what I thought I had

For weeping into my pillow at night, 

He’s promised to make me double glad

Double for every scandalous word 

spoken against my name

Double for every mistake I’ve made, 

double for my shame

He promised that what was stolen from me 

He will surely restore

For everything that I had to give up

 He will give back more

I cannot afford to get comfortable in this desert, 

there’s too much work yet to do

There’s more to life than what’s going on today, 

there’s much to look forward to

I’m not wearing a wedding dress 

to get married to this trouble

I’m putting on my high-heeled shoes 

cause I’m walking right into my

double!

copyright 2008 The Parchments, Albertine Williams

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Learning Opportunities

Every time you blunder, stumble, fall, flub up, mess up, jack up, get hurt, get used or abused, IT'S A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY. 

It's never God's plan for us to experience these things and then just come away with no more sense than we had when it happened. Every time you hit a rough patch the Lord is waiting to see if you will come to Him and ask Him about what happened.  At first it may seem like He's blaming you for whatever went wrong in your life, but keep listening. God doesn't gossip about other people, but He does point things out to us concerning our interactions with others about  ourselves that will help US to be stronger, wiser, and more successful in our endeavors. 

The failure isn't in falling, but in FAILING TO LEARN THE LESSON from the fall.

YOUR DESIRE, YOUR CONFESSION, YOUR VICTORY!

You can’t determine your success by how you feel.  Remember, God’s Word  and promises are true no matter how you feel.  It just is what it is…TRUE. 

Flesh gives us instant results, but they don’t last. When we begin to work the Word, we don’t always see the instant changes.  That doesn’t mean things aren’t changing. Another way to see it is, as long as you have “feelings” that it’s not working, or you’re not making progress, that’s actually a good sign that you ARE changing and it IS working. (the enemy will always present his argument against you with the opposite of what is really true) God does His work from deep inside, in the place that isn’t visible.  But the changes that take place from deep within are being made from the core of who you are. Those are the changes that will last a lifetime and grow you into the person that you really are.

Right now the person you’ve become is really just a result of what you have been through.  You are now the sum total of everything that has transpired up to this point, whether it be decisions you made or things that have happened to you.  But the fact that you DESIRE to be better, is PROOF that inside, at your core, YOU ALREADY ARE WHO YOU DESIRE TO BE!  That’s where the desire is actually coming from…INSIDE OF YOU!  Agree with your desire to be greater because that desire is coming from the greater that is inside of you.

Acknowledge that it is hard, but CONFESS that YOU CAN DO IT. Acknowledging the challenge is good because it is a reminder of the testimony that is being built as a result of the situation. It keeps you out of denial. Denial says, “There's nothing wrong with me!" "It’s not hard!" "It doesn’t bother me!" "It doesn’t matter to me!” So don’t deny.  Go right ahead and acknowledge that, “Man! This is hard!”  “This ain’t no joke!” “This ain’t no punk!”  But guess what?  YOU ain’t no joke, and YOU ain’t no punk either!

 Confessing your ability THROUGH CHRIST is what will CREATE THE POWER TO CHANGE. Acknowledging the difficulty lets you take an honest look at what you’re dealing with.  But when you make confessions based on who God says you are and what His Word says, you make yourself STRONGER THAN THE STRONGHOLD, so that no matter how strong IT is, YOU ARE STRONGER.

Nothing is going to fall out of the sky onto you and make you Mighty Christian.  But what is going to create the Might inside of you is going to come from inside of you, out of your mouth, into the atmosphere around you, back into your spirit and manifest the power to change in your life.

Agree with God that you are victorious!

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A SHOT IN THE ARM #2

Every time you mention your "haters" you make them important. You draw attention away from yourself and what God is doing in you and you turn that very attention to them.   That's exactly what they want you to do! For you to use the power in your mouth to make them famous! Do you really want to do that?

If they were going to be known for anything on their own they would have done it.  But because they haven't done it, or don't feel capable, they wait for someone like you to come along who's making strides and progress, and they hop on your coat tail and linger in your shadow with drama in hopes of you being ignorant enough to share some of the stage GOD has given you with them.  Recognize drama for what it is.  Recognize envy, and jealousy for what it is. 

The worst thing that can happen to a "hater" is to have their antics COMPLETELY IGNORED by the person they are jealous of.  You being less of who you are won't make them more of what they need to be.  Don't throw away the price you paid for your anointing over somebody who suddenly has a problem with you.  When you were sitting, standing, working right next to them with a broken heart, with your spirit crushed, with your soul crying out for help, they didn't have enough discernment to even notice or enough God in them to care.  Don't you dare, give away your power or compromise what God is doing in you now.  Protect that which cost you everything!

IN LIGHT OF THE WORD

It's not enough to just speak positive over your life.  Remember, when you speak, don't speak in light of your feelings.  Feelings change from one minute to the next. If you base your words on your feelings, your words will change right along with your feelings, back and forth between bad and good, negative and positive. You can't speak in light of your past or anything bad or good that has happened. When you think of something good that happened, you'll remember something bad that happened right after.  When you think of something bad, it sheds negative light on all the good.

 When you speak it has to be based solely on what the Word says.  The Word never changes.  No matter what happens, or what you're feeling, when you go back to the Word, it's still saying the same thing.  It's constant. Always true. Never changing.

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LEADER FROM THE BACK WOODS

 In the midst of some things around me going through major changes I began to feel a little bit lost. But God spoke to me and said, "You just keep coming to me and I'll anoint you above what's going on around you."

As I prayed yesterday morning and continued to surrender to Him in the matter He revealed to me, through me, more of what that really means.  I love how He causes me to prophesy to myself while I'm talking to Him!

Leaders emerge during times of crisis and uncertainty.  Leaders seemingly come forth out of the shadows, from the background, right in the midst of things coming apart.  A leader is someone who for a lifetime was "known", but in a moment comes forth almost as a stranger due to the fact that God will appoint and and anoint them in a way that was never seen before even by those who "knew" them. These leaders, make major IMPACT, and gain enemies from within their own camp, but because of the assignment and anointing they cannot be stopped or even hindered as they continue to walk in the Will of God.  Two such leaders come to mind right off the bat. (Understand that your assignment is not about you but is directly connected to the Will and Purpose of God being fulfilled)

David was completely ignored by his father when the prophet came to anoint the next King. (check out my previous blog) But Samuel sent for him and anointed him to be king in the midst of his father and all his brothers. David had what Dad Johnson used to call "backwoods experiences" that prepared him for his assignment of being King. When questioned by Saul he was able to refer back to the time when he had to kill a lion and a bear to protect the sheep. He took a lamb out of his mouth and then took him by the beard and killed him. It was because of what David did that nobody saw, that he was able to kill a giant who everybody feared, and kill him in the midst of everyone so that all could see.

Even Jesus, was raised up pretty much as a nobody, a carpenter's son, a commoner.  Even Isaiah said of him in chapter 53: "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." In other words we could have walked past Him on the street every day and never given Him a second thought or glance. But when He came forth and let it be known who He really was, the leaders of the synagogue and those who "knew" him were offended at Him.  "Is this not Joseph's son?" they asked. They couldn't get past the fact that He was raised in the neighborhood.  His father probably had made or repaired a piece of furniture for them. They knew his family and all his little brothers and sisters.  How was He suddenly announcing to them in a church service that He was the Messiah they had been waiting on?

As human beings we tend to make the mistake of thinking and believing that God can't use us because of things we've done, and things we've been through.  We believe that someone else is better suited to lead out for whatever reason.  We've spent so much time in the background that we've forgotten the visions, the dreams, the words spoken to us by God of what He plans for us. We forget, or maybe some are never told that what we are going through is just the preparation for the fulfillment of everything God said. We mistake our backwoods experience for a tomb where we should bury the promises of God and the call of God on our lives.  

We tend to think that with every hurt and disappointment we are becoming more and more disqualified for use. But God is the opposite.  He chooses us because of the things we've done and been through.  He has the power to take what happened in the shadows and use it as an instrument to bring deliverance, salvation and healing to masses. God is saying that with every moment you spent in obscurity He was making deposits into your spirit. Every moment you spent feeling like you weren't strong enough to take another step, He was building your spiritual muscles. Every tear you shed He took it and converted it to anointing oil to be poured out upon His people. Every moment you spent alone, wishing you didn't have to be, was a moment He used to teach you  the power of His presence. 

And in a moment when you least expect, He calls you forth out of the shadows, out of the backwoods, into the forefront, to be the leader He told you that you would be years ago.  This moment when you feel the least qualified, God says to you that after reviewing your bio, your resume that He Himself wrote, He has decided that you are the one for the job. Your assignment begins now. Your season changes today.  But fear not because not only is He with you now, and not only will He never leave you, He was with you in the darkroom developing your character for the assignment ahead. He was with you in the wilderness.  He was with you in the backwoods.  Read back over your own bio, and agree with what God has written about you. Now go forth and walk in the fulfillment of all that He has shown you!

Who's Writing Your BIO?

Have you ever attended a church service, program, etc, where someone who was introducing a speaker read their bio, and when the person got up they said something like, "I was looking around trying to see who they were talking about!"  Because even though that is them, and even though they did accomplish and do all those things, and more, when they heard someone else say it, it sounded too good to be true, and it sounded to good to be...them.  It really did sound like they were talking about someone else!

That's what just happened to me when I read the draft for my BIO someone wrote for me.  This young lady has had only two conversations with me but because of the gift that works in her and what she saw and learned from those two conversations with me, she was able to draft a bio for me that makes me feel like I have to live up to it!  It almost makes me want to say, "Take some out! It doesn't sound true!"  Oh, but it is true.  That's all me!

It's the enemy's job to downplay everything about you that will bring glory to God, and make major impact on others.  He wants to downplay everything about you that will help break bondage, bring enlightenment, breakthrough and understanding to someone. It's his job to bring thoughts to your mind or use others in a way that may cause you to second-guess yourself, even though you are operating in that which God has called, appointed and anointed you to do. It's unfortunate that for too many of us, it's so much easier for us to agree with and be side-tracked by what he's saying about us than it is for us to agree with and continue walking in what God has said about us and to us! 

Other people often see so much more in you than you see in yourself.  Have you not been complimented and found yourself having a hard time accepting what they say?  That has happened to me more than once.  I've been complimented on things that I don't even think about, like my stature, or my confidence in my height and stature.  I've been told on several occasions that I carry myself like a queen.    I thought I had ugly feet until I was about 35 years old when a young man told me I had pretty feet. That one compliment literally changed the way I saw my own feet. But you know why it was a shock to hear such things about myself at first? Because I've spent so much time listening to  the devil downplay my beauty and stature by pointing out how much weight I've gained, the shape of my nose, or the imperfections I see in my skin and hair.  I know we're not supposed to be affirmation junkies, but sometimes a good sincere compliment can be just the booster shot you need to get back to looking at yourself and seeing the beauty and strength God gave you!

I believe this is why it is so very important for all of us to fight with everything within us against becoming stuck in a rut, stagnate, or locked into a comfort zone.  That which is comfortable and familiar can be the death of you and everything God has called you to be!  Those who "know you best" may be  the very ones who will resist your stepping out into the greater possibilities that God and life have to offer.  I've personally known people who live in Kansas City, Kansas but won't drive to Missouri, even though it is literally, down the street!  Or who will hardly ever even leave their county to shop or eat in another county, even though, doing so would only cause them to drive a few miles.  They fear the unknown, looking out of place, people who look differently, or they simply fear the interstate. They've either heard a few horror stories or made up a few of their own and use them as the perfect excuse to not expose themselves to anything outside a 5 or 10 mile radius.  This is exactly what the enemy wants us to do! Not just in driving, but in life in general.

But all it takes is one encounter with someone you've never seen before, and to see and hear that person's response to that which God has placed inside of you to rebuild that portion of your self-esteem that the enemy has been chipping away from you with his lies.  All it takes is for someone to hear your testimony, or listen intently as you passionately describe what you feel God calling you to do to reignite that fire in you that the enemy blew out with the wind of his verbal abuse.

All it takes, is for us to allow someone else to write our bio. I couldn't write my own bio because, although some people are,  I'm not good at  "tooting my own horn". But what I had written was so downplayed and generic that it did not sound professional, and it did nothing to present myself to the world as someone having something of value to offer.  As an author  my bio may be the only tool I have to draw people in to purchase my books.  So if my bio sounds like someone who  who doesn't know who they are, or doesn't feel like they  have much to offer, because I feel guilty about complimenting myself, I'll never become the best-selling author that I know I'm capable of becoming!   My  bio could actually hinder my own book sales! While I was writing my own bio, my problem was, even though I was doing the typing, I was letting the devil do the talking!  (My God!)  I was writing bad bio's because without realizing it I was actually allowing the devil to help write my bio. I was trying to advertise my gift but I kept falling prey to his idea that I didn't want to build myself up too much, or come across like I thought I was "all that".  But truth be told, I, you, we ARE ALL THAT!  We are ALL THAT God has said we are! 

I can think of a few bible characters who presented God with a devilish bio of themselves when He called them out to do something great.  Moses said that he was slow of speech.  (stuttered) God called Gideon a mighty man of valor while he hid, and even before he went and did what God told him to do he needed a few signs, just to be sure. Even Paul said he was less than the least of all apostles, as if one who was born out of time.  These people spoke and thought of themselves as less than what God could or should use.  How pitiful was the bio they wrote about themselves.  But look at how mightily God used them!  And then there was David's own father who took it upon himself to write David's bio to Samuel by not even acknowledging that he had another son.  It wasn't until the prophet asked the question, "Are these all your sons?" that he said, "Yes there is but he's outside with the sheep". But Samuel asked because he knew what God had said to him and the oil had not yet flowed, even though the other brothers looked like what he thought God should anoint as king. There had to be another son because God is not confused about who He chooses. So even though David's father had his own version of David's bio, God had already written His own and spoken that David would be king.

I will honestly say that some of the greatest compliments I have received have been from people I'd just met for the first time, or sometimes, from strangers who stopped me in public to compliment me. Those who know you and aren't jealous hearted can also speak to you about the great and awesome things God has placed in you. But you can tell when someone is a messenger of your enemy because even a compliment can be followed up with some type of criticism or something to downplay who you are.  These are not the people you will want to have a say in the writing of your bio! And the things they say are not things that you will want to include when writing your own bio.

Try something for me.  Choose a way to ask people you know what they would write about you if they were chosen to write your bio.  You will probably be presently surprised at how highly people think of you.  And if they think so highly of you, how much more highly do you think your heavenly Father thinks of you? How much more highly should you think of yourself?

TO THE NATIONS

I know that many of us have spoken of and heard it spoken of, "Going to the nations".  I always agreed with it.  I always felt that I was one of the ones who was called to minister to the "nations".  I imagined myself getting on and off of planes, carrying my little bags, being greeted by whoever was hosting me...A little bit glamorous I suppose. :-)  On my way to minister to the nations.  I felt like what God had/has placed inside of me was something to be shared with nations.  That it was huge and belonged to people all over the world.  I had no idea how I would come to the point of flying here and there, I just always pictured it in my mind as the only way to reach "the nations".

As years came and went, I felt less convinced that I was going to be getting on planes and going anywhere outside of this country, the grand old U S of A. A news story here and there, thoughts of being someplace and not able to get back home, you name it...caused me to even desire it less. 

But one day a hunger began to develop inside of me.  What was I to do with all that I felt I had to offer?  Sit and wait to be called upon inside my local church?  No.  The nations aren't in our local churches. That's family, friends, loved ones.  As this hunger grew I heard myself saying exactly what it would mean to me to "go to the nations".  I told my friend, "Honey I can upload a video on youtube and anybody in the world will be able to see it!  You can go to the nations with a youtube video".

Lightbulb.  That was exactly true.  Anything on the internet is open and free to the world, unless it's password protected or something.  Any video, blog, post on a social website, is immediate available to the nations. This really opened my eyes.  Why would any of us sit and complain about who doesn't want to hear us (not that I was complaining about that at all but just making a point) or not having opportunities to do whatever, when the WWW is at our fingertips.  People who you will never meet in person will watch your video, or read your blog without you even having to leave your bedroom (or whatever room your access is). 

The nations can be reached from your home, bedroom, on a bus stop if you're using a laptop, or anywhere you can get a signal for your phone.  Once you click the upload or post or enter button you instantly place whatever you shared at the fingertips of the entire world and all who God has ordained to partake of it.  Understanding this will make you think again before posting some things.  Thinking about who could wind up looking at it, listening to it, reading it, is enough to make you "check yourself before you wreck yourself"

The other day I checked the stats of this blog.  It showed me how many views of my blog came from which countries/nations.  This is what it showed:

Canada
11
Russia
3
Czech Republic
2
Germany
2Ireland
2
Jamaica
2
Lithuania
2
Singapore
2
Colombia
1

 

No bad for just 5 months.  So just in case you're one of those who, like I did, has begun to wonder just how in the world you're going to reach the world, let me help you.  It's called WWW.

 

TO THE NATIONS!

You Can't Be a Raindrop and a Storm at the Same Time

At the beginning of the year I had made my motto, "Taking the world by storm, one raindrop at a time".  My thinking behind that was, when I look at everything I feel that I am called to do, and everything that it will take to walk fully in that calling, each thing I do seems like a drop in a bucket, but little by little it was going to eventually happen. I felt like what I had to offer and accomplish could take the world by storm, but it was only going to happen with me taking a lot of small steps. If I were writing a poem that line would make poetic sense.  But I'm not writing a poem, I'm handcrafting my life.  Storms don't happen ONE raindrop at a time. Storms happen with pouring rain that is sometimes blinding, that causes you to run for cover, pull over to the side of the road, and sometimes pray.  Storms happen with strong winds, thunder, lightening, hail, and flooding. There is a difference between a storm, light rain, drizzles, sprinkles, or scattered showers.  If I was planning to take the world by storm, my mindset needed to be adjusted.  I was right about the storm, but only half right, and the half that wasn't right would have been the death of my dreams.

 

Although I was saying that I was going the take the world by storm, I was crying and complaining to God about the fact that I know I should be doing more.  I felt something huge living inside of me. Something BIG was inside of me trying to come forth. This wasn't a baby inside of me, this was something full blown and full grown that should have come forth long ago.  I cried out about being behind schedule, feeling lost, in a rut, stuck. I knew I was supposed to be doing a whole lot more with my life.  I kept saying to God, "I'm supposed to be doing stuff!  I'm supporting other people in what their doing, but I'm supposed to be doing stuff for people to support me!  I'm bigger than this! "

The Lord agreed with me and then told me what my problem was.

God told me, "You're stronger than you're living". 

Now I understand that you can't say you have something HUGE inside of you but everything about your life is small, especially your mindset.  Your attitude about anything and everything you do can't be that it's "just a drop in the bucket".  Your attitude has to match what you're carrying in your spirit. If you don't believe you can push out that baby you'll die with it inside of you, or hanging halfway out of you.  You'll cut off its oxygen and your baby will also die. You have to BELIEVE that you are bigger and stronger than the baby you're carrying, no matter how big that baby is.  If you believe your baby is bigger than you are, you won't recognize the strength that God has already given you to birth it, and you'll die and so will your baby.  I know your dreams are HUGE, but they are small compared to YOU.  So yes you can push them into being. You can with the help, and guidance of God cause them to manifest.

Too many of us have made the mistake of becoming dependent upon our dreams (because they're so big) and failed to realize that our dreams are totally and completely dependent upon US. Your dream needs you!  Your dream needs your passion, your drive, your energy, your expertise, your knowledge, your personality, your creativity, your time and your money.  Without these things your dream is just a passing thought or idea. Your dream doesn't have a life of its own.  YOU give your dream life.

Your dream is not responsible for you. You are responsible for your dream.  Your dream is waiting to come true but it will only happen through YOU.  I had to begin to adjust my thinking to believe and know for sure that everything I do is a BIG DEAL. Every step is a GIANT step.  Every accomplishment is a HUGE accomplishment.  My "raindrop" mentality was really saying that even though I felt that I had greatness inside of me,  I didn't feel like I was making much of a difference.  It was saying that I doubted my influence and didn't have much faith in my abilities, or what I really have to offer. It was saying that I doubted if I was really going to be able to pull some things off, and I shouldn't bite off more than I could chew. It was saying that no matter what I did it still wasn't quite enough or it might not compare to what others are doing.  But you can't be a storm and a raindrop at the same time!

Life happens, but it doesn't just happen.  You have to live it.  And you have to make a BIG DEAL about living it!  So adjust your mindset and bring your thoughts about yourself up to the same level as your thoughts about your dream, that beautiful baby you're carrying.  You're living as if you're smaller, weaker than your dream, but that's not true! You are strong enough! Everything you've walked through up to this moment has built the muscle strength you need to push until it manifests!

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Never Assume

Never assume that something can't happen.

All possibilities fly out the window at the moment of your assumption.

OUTSIDE THE BOX? I BEG TO DIFFER!

One of the most quoted and popular statements that I have come to disagree with, "Think outside the box".  Yes, I said it!

People say that the box represents limitations.  I say the walls of the box are simply to set the boundaries that God wants me to not cross.  People believe that being inside a box means you're not growing, you're not creative, you're not living up to your fullest potential.  You're normal.  You're average.  You'll blend in with the crowd and never really stand out and make an impact or a real difference. All I have to say to that is, speak for yourself.  I am not average, I am creative, I have grown and am growing still, and any blame for me not living up to my fullest potential at any given time is not because of the box I'm in.  Nothing about me blends in with a crowd. I carry a heavy influence, and I do make impact, and a difference in people's lives.

God designed my box specifically for me.  My box is for my protection.  Its walls are the boundaries that have been set by God for me to keep me on the right path, moving in the right direction.  They keep me on track to fulfilling my purpose. My box is my road map to finding and fulfilling purpose. My box tells me where to spend my energy so that my life won't be wasted running wild and accomplishing nothing.  The walls of my box tell me what I was not called to do.  They tell me where I should not go, where I don't belong. The walls of my box show me the extent of my abilities, talents and gifts. My concern is not what's going on outside of my box, but the absolute freedom I have within my custom made by God box.  If I maximize the freedom in my box, I won't come to the end of my life with regret for all of the things that I meant to do, but didn't. Inside my box, nothing is wasted. Inside my box I am able to use all of my gifts, all of my talents.  They all come together to support my ulitimate God assigned purpose.

My box tells me that I am a writer, but not a novelist.  My box tells me which path God wants to use to get my word, and voice out to the nations. My box allowed me to write and publish books of poetry, but it doesn't allow me to simply write my own bio by which to be introduced. My box allows me to teach, expound, even preach, but mostly, outside the confines of the church walls. My box allows me to sing and write songs but not play any instruments. My box allows me to teach, and explain, but not in the school system as a teacher.  My box tells me that I am not a politician.  I am not a painter or an architect. Are you beginning to catch my drift?

Our entire lives are lived inside of a box.  You can't even properly ship or mail something without using some kind of box or container.  When was the last time you saw someone buy toys for their grandchildren in another city and just take them to the post office and send them?  You'll never see it!  And what if this Christmas, everyone who wanted to send something by whatever mail carrier, decided to send it "outside of a box"?  It would be total chaos and mayhem!  Nothing would make it to where it's supposed to be.  Things would be lost and broken, utterly destroyed even. Boxing items keep things in order. It gives you a place to write the destination.  It keeps the carrier out of disarray. If a mail carrier traveled any distance without any of the items and letters packaged, (boxed) whenever they got to where they were going the back of their vehicle would look more like someone dumped trash in it, than looking like it was filled with valuable gifts.

My box also has a very special ability to EXPAND.  I can grow as much as I want within that box.  I don't have to worry about running out of room because within the will, plan and purpose of God for my life I find that He is limitless.  He has all the space I need to use in order to do what He has called me to do. Do we not quote the scripture that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof?  So if I need more room, He simply expands my box to fit my growth, but I never loose sight of the path I'm on.  I don't have to worry about being "all over the place".  Starting everything, but finishing nothing.  Really living a life of confusion for not understanding the great value of living inside my box.

As God was opening this up to me I was sharing it with some ladies.  One of them did what most of us love to do.  She resorted to a scripture.  And I'm sure it's the same one that many of you have been quoting inside your head while reading this.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me".  "You can't limit yourself", she says.  But I told her that knowing your place in God does anything but limit you. I can do all things does not mean, I'm supposed to do everything.  The truest freedom any of us will ever know will be living within the boundaries God has placed for us.  First of all His Word sets boundaries, but that same word contains that scripture.  So are we limited or not?  I say NO.  Not by God anyway.  We have boundaries but we are not limited. If we are ever limited it is because we place those limitations on ourselves or allow others to.

I believe that the intent for Christians using this quote is maybe to encourage people to use their creativity. To not allow themselves to be bound up by people's opinions, or to do something they've always wanted to do, but haven't.  But we have to be careful about adapting every little phrase that comes into the world.  We are in the world but we are not of it.  The world is in the shape it's in right now because too many people don't live by rules, regulations, boundaries, or within the correct box.  People are doing whatever, simply because it's how they feel at the time.  They are running from one relationship to the next, bed to bed, breaking heart after heart, or being heartbroken, making babies and abandoning them or aborting them, walking away from families, hopping from church to church, etc, simply because they could really use a good BOX! 

Christians are often criticized for not getting out and "living life" or "experiencing" life because we choose not to be all over the place in our way of life.  I will admit that many of us aren't really living full lives.  Many of us don't experience a lot of happiness, joy, or excitement. But it's not because of the boundaries our heavenly Father has placed in our lives for our protection and guidance.  It is most likely because of the limitations we live under, the chains we place around our own feet, hands and neck because of fear, doubt,unbelief, and insecurity.  Those are the things we need to break out of, think outside of.

I submit to you today that the box is not what's killing your dreams and visions.  The box God designed for you is not what's keeping you from enjoying your life.  Every amount of joy and happiness that you want to experience, God wants it for you more than you do for yourself...more than you'll every imagine!

I challenge you today to change your attitude about the box God has given you to live in.  See how BIG you can get Him to expand it to by living up to all of your God-given potential!  

If you really want to think outside of something...if you really want to BREAK OUT of something, STEP OUTSIDE of something...try stepping outside of that COMFORT ZONE you've spent your entire life in.  It's your comfort zone that has been choking, smothering, committing mass murder of your dreams, visions and goals one by one.  Your comfort zone is the graveyard where all of your dreams have died and been buried.  It's the mentality of your comfort zone that has tricked you into believing that the box God created for you is a death trap.  The comfort zone is the real death trap.  Don't think outside the box, STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

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IGNITE YOUR PASSION!

If you don't have a "why" that will make you "cry" you need another "why".
What pulls you out of bed in the morning? What will pull at your heartstrings like nothing else? What will lift your spirits and put a sparkle in your eyes the moment you begin to think or talk about it?  What is it that awakens your creativity?

When you can answer these questions you're tapping into your true purpose.  True purpose ignites passion.  When you find it you will really live.

Handcraft Your Life!

I'm sure that many of you, if not all of you, have had the same thought that I have had at times, "If I could do it all over again...".

For me, this comes at times when I am having some regret about how things have turned out. You know as well as I do that this is a dangerous place to dwell in your thoughts.  Although it is normal, and even healthy to have these moments of reflection, it can lead to depression if you're not careful. 

Today though, I thought to myself, "What if I could do it all over again?  Actually, I can do it all over again.  Every day is an opportunity to do it again."  I heard the words, "Handcraft Your Life".  I wondered what kind of life I would have if I handcrafted it.  To be honest, the life I'm living now is the life I've handcrafted up to this point.  Not long ago God told me that I have more power than I have been exercising.  My life today doesn't reflect the power I have but the limitations I've lived under. 

"Write the Vision and make it plain."

I'm going to take some time and write out the life I want.  I'm not talking about going against the will of God or living outside of His purpose for my life.  The thing about growing in God is that at some point in your life, after having walked with Him and learned so much from Him, about Him and about yourself, you find that your desires tend to more often line up with His will for you.  I've heard people pray, "Not my will but thine be done".  One way to know that I am maturing  is when my will lines up with His, so I can really pray for my will to be done because my will is no different than His will for me.

In this handcrafted life, what is my behavior like?   What kinds of decisions will I make?  Will I be bolder, more compassionate, more sensitive, less sensitive?  Will I procrastinate or will I become more assertive and confident in the power that God has given me?  What will I be doing within the next few months?  Will I have even taken that much needed vacation, even if it's just a 2 day trip a couple hundred miles away? Will I continue to eat the same kinds of foods? Will I  push myself harder in workouts? 

This awesome power that needs to be put to good use can help me to build my life again from the ground up.  With every breath we should be reminded that we still have time.  But with every breath we should also be reminded that a piece of time just passed that will never return, so it is important to get moving.

Would you like to join me?  I'm not suggesting that you give yourself a timeframe, because the real timeframe has already been set.  It's not next week, or this time next year, or the end of the month, or by your next birthday.  It is the entire rest of your life!  However long that is, it is still, from this very moment,  an entire lifetime for each of us.

We've heard it said, "If you don't like your life, change it".  It really is that simple.  If you don't like the life you have, handcraft another one.  Build another one.  Sit down and write out a plan, your desires, and your dreams. Open your mouth and speak it into the atmosphere.  No matter how you feel, don't speak anything negative over your life from this moment on. I have been doing this and I promise you it works! You really do feel and even think better when you talk better.  Death and life really are in the power of your tongue and you will eat the fruit of what you speak.  It's better to be completely silent than to speak negativity into your own life. Take that deep breath, give yourself that little pep talk, and take that step outside of your comfort zone into the life that is waiting for you. Whether it be ministry, parenting, education, fitness and health, relationship, business, creativity, anything you desire.  (If you're like me, it's all of the above!) You were created by the Creator to create!  The only deadline you have is the day you die.  Up until that moment, you can do all that God has given you power to do.  So would you join me?  Let's get busy creating, building, handcrafting that bigger better life we desire!

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THE SHIFT IS HERE!

I believe it was Bishop Jakes who said that we love to rejoice about the SHIFT, but we don't always like what happens in the actual shift.  He said that when things are shifting stuff gets knocked around.  I thought that was so powerful because it made me think about my season of shifting.  In a shift, stuff gets moved.  Something might come loose.  Something might fall and break.  Shifts aren't as pretty as we imagine, and they aren't really comfortable, but they are necessary.

You can sit in a position so long that your leg may go to sleep due to cut off circulation. Sometimes when I'm sitting I tend to have my foot turned over in a position that, when I move it, (shift it), it really hurts my ankle, because I didn't realize it was in a bad position until I decided to move it.  I'm reminded of a psychology class I attended years ago in which  we learned about one type of  mental illness  called  Catatonic schizophrenia. A person with this disorder may often assume very unusual postures and hold them for extended periods of time, even days.  Can you imagine what your muscles would feel like if you held either of the below positions for an hour, much less a few days or weeks?  (Thank God for treatments nowadays that makes this less common.)

You need the shifting of position because without it you could really injure yourself by staying in a position for a prolonged period of time. After you shift your position, which sometimes involves pain,  you'll find yourself in a more comfortable position.  But think about it, you were looking for a more comfortable position when you began to shift. (Maybe this is why we rejoice over the shift in the beginning)  Our bodies were meant to move and so was our life designed by the Creator to move.  Even after surgery patients are encouraged to get up and walk, even in pain, because doctors have discovered that to move is necessary.  We need the circulation of blood so that every cell of our body receives the nutrition that it needs, and it increases our chance to experience full recovery.  There is LIFE in the blood!

My Bishop said at the beginning of 2012, "The Shift is Here".  I felt it in my spirit and received every syllable of it, and I have been experiencing some of the shaking and readjusting that comes when things are being shifted.  It's actually kind of awesome!  If I didn't realize or understand what was going on, some of these things could be very discouraging and even hurtful to me right now. But instead, although it's not an easy lesson, I'm learning to embrace the discomfort, because it is actually a sign that I'm changing!  I'm growing.  I'm stretching into that place that my heart has yearned for for so long.

Did you come into this season of your life rejoicing about the shift?  Did you have the strongest feeling that everything was about to change for the better? Did you get a glimpse of your end result, the finished product? Have things, since your glimpse, been getting shaken up?  Moved around? Dropped?  Has something or someone fallen off?  Has something broken?  GOOD!  It means you're right where God wants you!  The shift isn't coming, the shift is here, and you're right in the middle of it.  Don't give up now and don't be discouraged.  You're that much closer to your expected end!

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WRITTEN IN 2008

The truth is .... in and of ourselves none of us are good enough.  It's through the blood of Christ that we are made or counted worthy. He gives us the credit and benefits of the work He did.  We couldn't and can't so He did, and then rewards us as if we did.   All we have to do is accept it.   Believe that in His eyes we are good enough because His blood is all over us.  When He looks at you He sees the greatness He put inside of you, not the messes and mistakes you've made.   He sees your future in Him and His plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says..

FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU , SAYS THE LORD. THOUGHTS OF PEACE AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU AND FUTURE AND A HOPE. OR (EXPECTED END. kjv)

You ever just look at that scripture? He actually thinks about you.  He ponders about things, good things that He wants to give to you and the life He wants you to live.   Full of peace, good, and hope.   He has a bright future in mind for you.   And He had it in mind when He created you.   He actually thinks about you. 

When you love someone you tend to think about them all the time.   And your thoughts of that person are always loving and good and they always involve that person being in your future. So looking at what that scripture says, God is so in love with you that He thinks about you all the time and He loves you so much that He went ahead of you and planned your future with Himself, and it's all good! Wow. He's head over heels in love with you!

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While You're Healing

Just cry when you need to.  And know that each tear that falls is falling for the first, and last time. Each tear drop is just a drop of pain leaving your soul and making room for healing to fill that spot. You'll feel anger, you'll feel regret, you'll feel stupid, you might feel like the joke is on you, you may want that person to die.  It's all a part of your healing process. Feelings come and go, and they come, to go.  The negative feelings are normal but are not meant to become your normal. Let them come, run their course, and then let them pass.  With each passing of negativity will come a passing in of healing. 

Understand that when those negative feelings come to the surface they are only there to be scooped up and off by the healing hand of God.  You will experience days and moments when you feel like you have made major strides, only to have something trigger what seems to be a setback and dig up another truckload of pain. But over time, the pain will subside, it will hurt less and less until it doesn't hurt at all.  It gets better. Even though you may not believe it right now, just take my word for it.  The whole time you're hurting, you are healing.



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Recognize the Root

If you're going to live a bigger life you can't just stop at saying, "I'll never do that again!", or "I'll never let that happen again!"  The truth is, if you never take time to recognize the behavior that is causing or allowing certain things to happen, you will unfortunately find yourself in a cycle that can continue for years or all of your life. It can get to the point that one of the first things that will come to mind when people see, speak of, or think of you can be that issue or problem in your life.  I don't think any of us in our right mind would want something less desirable to be someone's initial thought about us.

Since learning this valuable lesson, I have found that to get to the root of a situation or issue in my life I can't just go back to the moment it happened.  Most of the time I have to track back to hours prior, days and sometimes weeks to get to the root of where a pattern was created.  I may have to recognize a certain habit or tendency that I have that tends to yield the same results.  Once I zero in on that root, that initial thought or decision, I become able to make better decisions at that same point another time, (because another time will come until the cycle is broken) and thus break those unhealthy and painful cycles in my life.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that a bigger better life isn't made up of events, but of good choices made on a daily basis that create an all around healthier, happier, more stable life.

Not Fooled But Fueled

Kinda sorta random thought this evening on the way home:  

Yes it would have been nice if my life had been picture perfect and I hadn't made the mistakes and bad choices I made.....but then if it had been that way, who would I be able to minister to? NOBODY.

Maybe if we focused on the Blood of Christ and the work of the Cross we would be able to live a bigger better life and not be held back by things that God can't even change.  If He can't change our past, why in the world do we cry because we can't?  But He can take everything from our past, even the worst, and work it for our good, so good, that if we didn't know better, we'd think He meant for us to act the fools we acted.   As a matter of fact, He seems to do His best work with our worst choices. 

He doesn't want us to be FOOLED by our past (into thinking we will never really over come it) but He wants us to be FUELED by our past as we use every lesson learned for our betterment, and growth.