Faith Builder

11 God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. (Colossians 1:11 NCV) 

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I believe  that it would be  safe to  say that we have all experienced  seasons in our lives where things seem to be falling apart and  you find yourself  becoming overwhelmed by our circumstances.  In these instances it's  easy to  begin to rely on our own reasoning   and attempt to  handle things in our own way instead of  relying on the hope that we have  in Christ.

The problem with  taking things into our own hands is that we  shift our  focus from the power of  God that  can  completely  turn our circumstances around to  the "power" of the  issue we're facing.  Remember   when unfavorable things are   happening in our lives  it is important  to begin to  have tunnel  vision  and  focus in on Christ; Allow this situation to be  a  faith builder  not a hope crusher.

The  mission of the enemy is to  steal  your  joy, kill your dreams and destroy your hope.  If he can successfully  bury you under the weight of your  anxiety  he  can keep you bound to this  moment that you were never meant to dwell in .  What we  must  understand is that there  isn't a  point in our lives that  God cannot reach us.  Even the enemy  has to submit to God; So  if  God  hand is  on us and He  has  given us power over the enemy  why would we  willingly  give the enemy  a  platform to stand   on by  focusing on whats going wrong.

9 Behold, I have given you authority (A)to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of (B)the enemy, and (C)nothing shall hurt you. (Luke 10:19 ESV) 

God intention is for us to   grow through our  pain not  to get stuck in it.  You don't need to know why or how things are  happening in your life  you just  need to   trust that   God  can  bring    you though it.   Let  your circumstances drive your closer  to  God , build  your  faith  and increase your endurance; So moving  forward  you won't bend easily because  you'll  be able to stand firm on His promises because you know from experience that you can take Him at his word.

Love,

Why Wise Counsel is Important #FridayQuickFix

Plans fail with no counsel, but with many counselors they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22 CEB)

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One of  the  biggest  killers of  personal  growth  is thinking we have it all together and taking on life's  issues  alone. We all need people in our lives that we can confide in, that we can share ideas with and receive   Christ centered  advice from.   A  genuine  friend  and a  solid  support system is  a valuable  and vital piece to  moving  towards our  purpose.

God never intended for us to figure everything out on our own  that's why He  has given  us  the   holy spirit  to  aid us in discerning  who to trust and develop   bonds with.  We need people in our lives that  will  pray for us,  pray over us and tell us when we are wrong and  help us figure out a plan to get on the right track.   

Wisdom is  recognizing that  we  all have  gifting in different  areas and  by sharing what  God has poured into  each of  us.  We all can benefit and  grow stronger and be  more effective in our day to day lives because of  the relationships we've nurtured. Today ask  God to  place the right people in your path  and to create a  support system  that pushes closer to Christ and your purpose. 

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Dealing with Difficult People

17 You won’t even have to fight. Just take your positions and watch the Lord rescue you from your enemy. Don’t be afraid. Just do as you’re told. And as you march out tomorrow, the Lord will be there with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17(CEV)

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Have you  ever   encountered  someone who  is  just plain difficult  to be around, nothing you do  seems to be  right and they seem to find  fault in  everything you do?   Of course, we all have had to deal with someone like this at some point.  It can prove to be very difficult in these instances to keep your  cool .

 In my  personal  experience  of  dealing with  a   difficult  person  there  have been times when I just wanted to snap and  treat them  the way they were treating me and then some!  The truth is it might have  made me  feel better  in the moment  but in the  long run what  would I have  really gained   by  mirroring their sour  attitude? Nothing. 


What I had to  realize is that   their  perception of me  had nothing to do  with  me.  It was pointless to allow them to  offend me  especially when  their opinion of me was based off of  an assumption. I've learned when  people can't seem to figure you out they begin to formulate opinions and scenarios that  simply don't exist instead of  just taking the time to get to know you. 

So  I had to shift my focus from taking  their  words personally to  trusting God  to fight my battles for me.  2 Chronicles 20:17a  says   "You won't even have to  fight. Just take your positions and watch the Lord rescue you from your enemy".   What I had to realize is that  it  wasn't  my job  to  win them  over or  convince them  of anything.  It is  more important to   continue to be true to who I am and who God says  I am.  

I'm sure  you've heard the  the saying misery loves company.  Well it's  true,  people  who  are unhappy with themselves tend to  seek  other people to  take their  insecurity out on. If you find yourself dealing with  this   kind of person right now I want to encourage you  to pray for  them   and     ask  God to  grant you discernment in this situation  and  follow His lead.   Don't  get caught up in your emotions instead position yourself to  trust God  he  will  meet you at the point of your need. 



Love, 

Pleasing God vs Pleasing People

1 Thessalonians 2:4 (CEV)  4 God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn't  speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives.

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What  does it  look like to have  a  servants  heart  vs.  being  a  people pleaser ? 

Well having a  servants heart  requires  humility and the  ability to  put others  needs ahead of your own.  There is no  hidden  agenda  or   need  for  recognition, there's just a  desire to  please God  by following  Christ's  example.  This doesn't  always come  natural to everyone.  For some it's a quality that has to be developed and that's fine.   We  all have areas of  our lives where  we  have to  grow in .  We  need   seek  God  to cultivate a  new mindset  within us.

Being a  People  Pleaser:

I have to tell you that  being a  people  pleaser  is exhausting,  especially   because  generally  people are  fickle  and  we  don't  have the ability or the time to even begin to  please  everyone in our lives. The truth is  some  people will never  be satisfied  with what  you do no  matter how hard you try. It's not your job to fill voids for others  because  only God   can pour in to us in  a way     that completely satisfy's us.

 So  ask yourself  why it is so important for you to win the approval of others?  Is it  to keep their  interest or  is it  for  validation?

What you need to know is that  Christ already  validated you through His love and sacrifice on the cross;  The amazing thing about  God is  that you  don't have to prove yourself  because He is aware that we aren't  perfect   and we  fall short; The good news is that He is already aware of this  and   his grace covers us.  Our  focus should shift from  projecting an image that we  think others expect of us and  move towards  chasing after  Gods will and  pleasing  Him  because  his  opinion of us is the only one that matters.

Love,

Following Gods Lead

  A person may plan his own journey,but the Lord directs his steps.  Proverbs 16:9 (GW)

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What do you do when your plans are completely  different from  the direction  God  in leading you in?  God  may  be asking you to  do  something  that is completely  out of your  comfort zone and let's be  real here  that  can be really intimidating .  In   this instance  you may be tempted to  run away but  resist  that urge. 

My  church is  doing a  series on  insecurity  and the recent  messages have  really been  helping me with  the  season  I'm  in currently. I've learned a  lot from this series  for  instance God isn't  concerned  with  what you think your skill sets are, if   God has   given you a  task to walk out  you can rest assured that  He has  already  qualified you.

The problem  begins when we   try to rationalize  our fear as  a valid reason to  put Gods plan on a shelf until  were "comfortable".   We  have the case of what I like to call the  "and then's or I'll be ready when's". I have to admit  I have been guilty of this myself, earlier this year I felt like the Lord was tugging on my heart to step  out of my comfort zone and leave my  job  but   I  brushed it  off and   buried Gods plan   because  I  couldn't  see the outcome.

What  I am learning is  that  trusting God with your  next  step doesn't mean  you will be able to figure out how it will all come together, you  aren't in  control and  you have to  be ok with  that;  Your job is   to continue walking out  Gods plan  one step at a time.  You may not  understand  the  purpose of what you're doing right now and  but you must trust  God  and move as He leads you.

Adjusting to change is  hard  but  trusting   God to get you through the  growing pains of  fully  operating in  your  purpose is  worth it.   Hang in there you're not alone  what God  brings you to He will  also  bring you through!

Love,

Taking God at His Word

Proverbs 30:5 (GW) 5  “Every word of God has proven to be true. He is a shield to those who come to him for protection.

All pictures are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated. 

Sometimes it is really hard to  find people in your life that are  true to their  word. Often times they may forget a  promise that they made, lose  interest or simply change their minds.  I have to admit  that    one of my  biggest  pet peeves  is not being able to take someone at their  word.  But  I've learned over the years to forgive  those who have broken promises but  trusting them again is definitely  a process  that  takes  more time. 

Disappointment  can   really  change your  perspective not only  of the  person who disappointed you but  from that point on  it can change how you see  everyone else that comes into your life after the fact. You  begin to look for corresponding   behaviors that  remind you of   past offenses and  immediately put up your defenses.  

Discernment is  one thing  but sometimes  we   confuse the ability to   be a  good  judge  of character with actually  being  a  pessimist .  A pessimistic  sour  outlook on everyone and everything is exhausting  because  you are  constantly  revisiting  your past in order to compare notes. This attitude  can even bleed into  our walk with  God  and  our  ability to  fully trust Him.  

 Here's what you need to know;  There is no comparison between   finite  people  and  an infinite  God.    We cannot even begin to  wrap our minds around  Gods timing  or  how  He  chooses to move in  our lives but  what you can be assured of  is that  every  word, every  promise  from  God is already  done.  God knows where you are right now  and what you need.  But  will you trust Him or  continue to  lean to  your own understanding?

Sometimes we get so  caught up in our past hurt and  disappointments  that we are blinded to the fact that He was  present even in our pain  and  that  He is still present and working things out in your life right now.  Instead of  complaining about  dead  situations   I want to encourage  you  to  pour  your heart out to  God  and  ask Him to heal your broken heart .  You don't have to continue to struggle under the  weight of your pain and disappointment.

Love,

Don't Have to Believe Everything You Think

Ephesians 6:10-11(CEV) 10 Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks.

All pictures are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs unless otherwise stated. 

Million of  thoughts  flow through our  minds within the course of a day and   most we are  able to brush off and  not give much thought to but then  one negative thought  creeps in and attempts  to change  our  perspective of ourselves. 

The truth is  that  the objective  of  the  enemy  is to feed you lies that will  diminish   your confidence.  Breaking your  confidence   slows down the journey to your  propose because now your  focus has  shifted to areas of  your life that you are insecure about; Pinpointing the   things that you're insecure about  is a  tactic to keep you  defeated.  He knows that the longer  that  he  can  distract you with negative  thoughts the longer the journey will take. 

Hears what  you need to know:  If you're life didn't matter and   your purpose wasn't  so important the  enemy would be trying  so  hard to  defeat you with  negative  thoughts.  The  TRUTH is that your life  does  matter and your  life  has  purpose!

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn.

Today I want to remember that you do not  have  to believe  everything that you hear.  Every thought that  flows through your mind isnt true.   A  way to gauge this is   to ask yourself  this   Does  this  thought  line up with what  God  says about me? If  not  discard those thoughts  and  replace it with Gods truth. Below are  few  verses that you can mediate on. 

Psalm 139:14(NKJV)14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works,And that my soul knows very well.

Matthew 5:14 (NKJV)14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV) 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

1 John 4:16 (ESV) 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Use  Gods truth as your ammunition  and  press forward the best is yet to come!

Love,