Expect the unexpected!

Sometimes we have set goals and dreams in mind. There's nothing wrong with that, however sometimes we have to be open to expect the unexpected. We get an idea in our mind, and how we believe it’s going to happen, we don't want to waiver. However we must remember this, God has incredible and amazing plans for our lives, bigger than we can ever begin to imagine. But if we keep ourselves stuck on OUR dreams, goals and plans and OUR way of doing things, and not letting God be God, we'll never experience His amazing power in our lives. I don't know about you, but I know I can't out dream God and I don't want to try. His plans are way better than mine! And His plans can happen in an instant! Just like that, a door can open that you never even thought of. I was recently playing a game and I was at around 18,000 points. I was thinking how cool it would be if I could get to 20,000, and was resigned that it might take a while to get there. The game gives you an average of about 100 points. I played my next round and won 3,000 points. I remember thinking "wow, just like that I got something unexpected and it was awesome. Something as simple as winning a bunch of points in a game made me think about the Promises of God and how we expect God to bring it one way, and He completely surprises us and brings it another. If we're open to it. 

Are you open to experience God’s best for your life? Or are you determined to do it your way?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

Are You Sabotaging Your Breakthrough?

Praying daily and asking for a breakthrough is something every Christian has done. Many times when we’re in the midst of a crisis is when we cry out to God asking for that breakthrough. We all want a great life free of crisis and bad things. We want great families, career, and health. We expect God to take care of that and we'll never have any issues. But we all know life does not work like that. The bible in fact tells us that we WILL encounter problems. So there will be a time when you need a breakthrough. A lot of times when we’re praying for it – we don’t stop to listen for the answer. Or worse we hear the answer, but don’t listen to our part of it. Yes- OUR PART. If you’ve prayed for something and gotten your answer, there is probably something that God has asked you to do. Are you willing to hear Him AND obey Him? We all WANT the breakthrough; we just don’t necessarily want to put the work in to make it happen.

I have a friend who prayed for a breakthrough in her business. God responded, and He revealed the plan, and in it she had a part. But she didn’t get that part right away. She didn’t realize how crucial her part was in bringing it to pass. Once she obeyed God her breakthrough happened almost overnight. I for one can completely relate to this scenario. In my case, I actually thought I was doing what I was told, but during a sermon it was brought to my attention that I wasn’t. So I prayed about it again, and I listened. Once I did, everything started falling into place.

If you’re waiting for a breakthrough today and you’re wondering why it hasn’t happened. I’m going to challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about what you should be doing. You might already know, and it may be something you don’t want to do, but remember this. God knows what’s best for you; He wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t necessary to reach your destiny. Take the step and just do it!

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. ~ Luke 11:28

God's Promises

Its taboo in today’s “gotta have it now” society to wait for anything. We can do almost anything instantaneously and when someone tell us to wait, it’s like the worst scenario ever! When God puts a promise in you, most of the time it doesn’t happen in an instant. In fact, most of us find ourselves in the uncomfortable “wait” zone. When He first puts the promise in you, you’re so excited! You can’t wait for this promise to happen!! I mean God’s plans are so much bigger than ours, so when you see that vision you’re amazed and awed and pumped – for the first week or so.

But when it starts to take longer than we expected, we start doubting…. Did He really put this promise in me?... Maybe I was mistaken…. I don’t know how this will ever come to pass. You ask for confirmation over and over to be sure that it’s real. Ever been there? I have, and I can tell you that waiting is sometimes SO difficult. I would get discouraged and want to give up. But I knew in my heart that I couldn’t. How do I get through it you ask? I’ve had to learn a few things.

1.  God doesn’t go back on His promises! The bible is full of verses showing us that.

2.  He wouldn’t have put the promise in you if he wasn’t going to give you everything you need to bring it to fruition.

3. He WILL test your faith! Testing is part of the process.

4. Trust God. I had to let things go and completely trust Him. That’s not easy if you like being in control. Keep your peace knowing He’s in control, and He will never leave you.

I realized through the process that I can’t out dream God. It took me quite a while to figure this out. God loves us and wants to bless us abundantly. But He can’t do it if we’re not ready.

I have a friend who was waiting on a promise from God. It seemed to take forever! I was getting frustrated and discouraged for him! But he waited patiently knowing that God was going to bring it to pass and while he waited he continued to gain knowledge and grow. Now that the promise is manifesting, him and his wife are walking into that promise and to him it was worth waiting for.

I want to encourage you today to enjoy the process, be at peace, trust Him and watch what He does in your life.

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. ~ Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV)

You can’t talk mediocrity and expect great things.

We all want to be better. At least I hope so. Growth is something that should be continuous in your life. What do you expect from your life? A better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, better relationships, or maybe better health. When you think about your daily thoughts and how they come about do you find yourself always complaining about your life? When you chat with your friends are you positive or is negativity the only thing coming out of your mouth? I really want you to think about this. You’d be surprised how many people say they are positive and upbeat and speaking great things over their lives but whenever you have a conversation with them, it’s the total opposite. This mediocre attitude is a thief. It’s a thief of goals and dreams.

I get it. You don’t want to seem greedy, or selfish, so you don’t want to dream to big. You’re afraid to ask for too much. Who decides what’s too much? A lot of people say “I just want enough to pay my bills.” That’s speaking mediocrity. Think about how many people you could help if you did have abundance! God wants to give us life more abundantly. So go for it!! Don’t be afraid to dream beyond your wildest dreams!  Just because it’s beyond your dreams, does not mean it’s above God’s goal for your life! What goals and dreams have you given up on because you’re afraid that it’s just “too big”? You can’t out think or out dream God.

I’ve always had a desire to write. I’ve always loved reading and writing. Over the years I’ve started and never finished a few books. I didn’t think I could do it. It was hard, I was busy, and I was married with 3 kids and a full time job. But guess what? All of those are excuses to stay in mediocrity. It’s still hard, I’m still busy, and I still have 3 kids. Being a single mom is way harder than being married. And I’m writing a book. I stopped settling where I had resigned myself to be because it was easy. I knew that was not my purpose. I talked myself into believing that having food, a house and enough money to pay my bills was enough. It wasn’t enough, not by a long shot. I started feeling restless and couldn’t figure out why. I prayed about it and God said –write. I was like write what? Being a Life Coach, I’ve helped people deal with all kinds of issues. When God told me to use that knowledge to write a book, I was hesitant at first. It was scary! But, I faced my fear,  and I’m almost finish with my first book, and I have ideas for 2 more books already!! I’m being obedient to God and I do have big goals and dreams and even if I don’t become the next Stephen King or Tom Clancy. I am an author, and I’m writing. God has already opened doors and will continue to open doors that no man can shut.

My challenge to you is this. When you feel “less than”, don’t settle on mediocrity in your life. Think about what it is you desire the most for your life. Make a plan and go for it!! Ask God for big things, and then expect Him to answer!! My Pastor always says to get something you don't have, you have to do something you've never done. 

John 10:10 – A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than ever dreamed of. (The Message Bible). 

Faith of a mustard seed

The bible says in both Matthew and Luke that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can say to a mountain be moved and it will move. What does this mean? To me it means that God is not asking to have superior faith right now, in the midst of the storm, but just a little faith. That little bit can go a long way to show God that we trust Him. Think about it -Faith as small as a mustard seed. How tiny is that?

It’s tiny!!  That’s all God is asking for…. He just wants us to have the tiniest bit of faith in Him to be able to bring His promises to pass in our lives. Sometimes that tiny amount of faith is all we have to give. Give to Him, trust Him and believe.

A very dear friend of mine was going through an extremely tough time in his life. He was struggling with a relationship and if he should continue it. We talked about it and I asked him if he prayed about it and he said yes. But he said he still struggled with his faith. He wanted to believe that everything was going to work out, but he was afraid to have faith because of the fear of it not working. We’ve all been here, it may not have been a relationship, it could be belief for healing your body or a better job. It still takes faith.

My challenge to you is this. Can you have faith as small as a mustard seed and believe God for what He promised?

Matthew 17:20 – I tell you the truth, if you have as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ”move from here to there”  and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (NIV)

Are you a Warrior or a Worrier?

Being a worrier is easy. Everyone worries about something, their family, career, finances, health, and the list goes on and on. But you don’t have to be a worrier. You can be a Warrior! You can overcome the fear and anxiety that is keeping you stuck. Being a Warrior takes faith. Tremendous faith. How strong is your faith? Recently I was dealing with an issue and I was discussing it with a friend. All of a sudden in the middle of a sentence, he asked “Are you a Warrior or a worrier?” I couldn’t even answer him. I felt like I got punched in the stomach. Why you ask? Because I recognized that I was a worrier. I was worried because things were not happening on my time in the way I expected them to and the fear and anxiety was getting to me. It caused the worry and fear to win. That is not acceptable!! I am not a woman of fear. I am a child of God and He did not make me with a spirit of fear. I had to start acting like the Warrior that I know is inside me. You can too! When something is worrying you and you feel like it’s taking over don’t let it! You are a victor in Christ Jesus!

My challenge to you today is to ask yourself this. Am I a Warrior or a Worrier? If you’re worried, let it go. Lay it at the altar and trust God. Be the Warrior that you know is inside you.

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

When God is in it, it's not over

When we have dreams and goals and maybe even promises that God has put in your heart, it can sometimes be difficult to always stay positive and stay in faith. I still hold onto the promises of God in my life and even though it's taking a lot longer than I have wanted or even anticipated, I'm not giving up. Don't get me wrong, I've cried and prayed and given up numerous times. But then I hear that still small voice telling me it's not over. So I apologize to God for letting my emotions get the best of me and I keep going. I read a weekly newsletter and the lady who writes it said in one article that God gave her a promise about her future husband and that he would come in 20 years. Now, for me I would have been like 20 years!! And I would question God if it was really going to take that long, but now I get it. God's timing is perfect, and even if its 20 years down the road, it's still right on time.

Do you listen to God when He talks to you? Sometimes when we hear God, but it's not what we expected or what we want to hear, we tend to not listen to it or say that it can't be from God. But I encourage you not to look at it like that. When God speaks to us, it's for a reason. When we listen to God it shows that we believe Him and His Word. God does not want to hurt us or make us suffer. He DOES want our faith to grow, and if we have no challenges there will be no spiritual growth.

My challenge to you is to think on the promises that God put in your heart. Check your faith. Are you living in faith or living in fear?

Proverbs 1:33 "But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm."