Peace - God's Treasure You Already Possess

Imagine walking into a frozen forest of dense trees. You are cold and lost. You do not know where to go and are dressed inadequately suddenly you realize there is a pile of gold that seems to be glowing beside you. Then you realize in your pocket there already was some of the gold. It produces a heat that warms you when you focus on it. God gives you the revelation that the gold is actually the peace of God. You realize you have a choice, you can focus on the forest where your circumstances are unknown and be truly afraid or you can focus on the fact that no matter your circumstance in life you carry the gold -- the peace of God. Which would you choose?

The above is a vision God just gave to me. Can you choose to focus on that peace with me? What would your life be like if you focused on that gold in your pocket -- allowing the warmth of God to fill you with a sense of peace, of purpose, of life? Life gets hard and we can get easily distracted into the present and try to solve all of the problems, yet, God wants to carry these problems and have us truly feel His peace in all circumstances.

Which do you choose today?

Agree with God - You are Amazing and of Great Worth!

Did you grow up in a home where perfectionism was valued? Do you sometimes boast to others that you are "driven." 
What happens when perfectionism is not met? What happens if you do not do everything right the way you "should." 
You fail.
This is a black and white philosophy or a  Pass/Fail Mindset. 
But, what does God think about all of this? Is he upset with you or angry if you make a mistake?
No! Actually God has never had a bad thought about you.
God want you to love yourself aggressively the way he does. Did you know that he really loves you with an everlasting love? (Jeremiah 31:3)
I was stuck for a long time in the Pass/Fail Mindset. I would get upset with myself every time I failed - which was all the time, because I was rarely able to do everything perfect. All of this negativity weighed me down and kept me from agreeing with who God says I am 
One of my favorite quotes of Ric Lumbard is "Minimum: Agree with what God says about you; Maximum: Feel what He feels about you."
I decided to believe that he had never had a bad thought about me and to agree and feel what he feels about me. 
This type of agreement leads to a powerful stance of understanding who I am in God. I am able to love others powerfully because of agreement with God's powerful love. I become a conduit for his love and I breathe out his love over all I encounter.
Could you step away from perfectionism? Can you relinquish control of your circumstances to God's powerful hands? Can you agree with the fact that you are truly amazing and absolutely precious to God? 
If this is a new concept to you, consider writing some of these ideas on post-its around your house. Or put a reminder on your phone to buzz and tell you something powerful like "God has never had a bad thought about me."
Old mindsets can be changed, but it takes determination, agreement with God, and renewing of the mind.
#changeyourmindsets #loveyourselfpowerfully #agreewithgod

Can You Control the Tightrope? Or Do You Fall into the Abyss?

In life, there is a tightrope we walk. A rope of faith and hope where below us there is an abyss of worry and fear. You might feel wobbly in your faith (unsure of what is coming next - which is doubt). You might feel unsteady and try to step backwards into the past looking only at "what worked before" rather than stepping forward into the unknown in faith. Or you can free fall into the abyss of worry and fear, always falling, but never, ever reaching the steady ground. The choice is yours.

The phrase "Fear not" is mentioned 365 times in the Bible. Think of the beauty of that in God's word. He has given you a "Fear not" for each day of your year. He wants you to remember daily to release fear and trust. "But," you might say to me, "You do not understand what I am going through."
I may not, but God does.

My main question to you is this, "Have you given control of this fear or worry to God?"  I find in my own life, I often hold on tight to the biggest concerns or fears. I kinda pray about them, but mostly I try to solve it on my own (searching the internet for answers and researching; asking multiple people for their opinions; etc). Do you see how in this situation it is I who is trying to control the situation? I'm sure you can all imagine how well this goes when I follow this philosophy. Needless to say, I am not walking in faith when I do this and I worry more and rest less. In addition, my way is NEVER better than when I release it to God.

Let's go back to the tightrope analogy. In life, daily, you have choices. You choose what to think, what to wear, what to eat, what to say. You have a choice about walking in faith or falling into the abyss of fear. You can try to control your stance and balance on that tightrope all on your own will or you release the worry and truly trust God to keep your footing steady and solid. Doesn't He already know everything? Can't you think of a time when He truly protected you? Doesn't He have absolutely your best interests at heart? Doesn't He love you more deeply than the ocean?

Why can we not, together, walk forward and trust? Take your right hand and put it in front of you. Now, put that worry or fear into your hand. Say with me, "God, I trust you. You have never left my side. I give this to you. If I start to think about it or worry, I will hand it back to you. I give up the control and I walk forward in faith powerfully, boldly and with Your great love. AMEN."

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:1b-2 

Fear Makes You Dumb

Fear. It is so prevalent in so many people's narratives. Fear of failure. Fear of punishment. Fear of rejection. 
Did you know when you are in a state of fear, you are not able to think creatively or freely?
Many focus their lives in fear of the future - which can be seen in their continuous worries. 
Fear makes us dumb. We can't think clearly. We run around in circles, accomplishing little.
We have talked before about holding thoughts captive. Can you start paying attention to your thoughts? Are they helping you or hurting you? If it is a thought based in fear/worry/condemnation then I encourage you to, literally, throw it away (I teach the kids to symbolically pull the "brain trash" thoughts out of their head and throw them away).
Then, you need to replace your thought with a completely different thought. The opposite of fear is peace, confidence, and faith/trust. Can you move into that line of thinking instead?
Fear really took so much from me. It had such a stronghold over me. I didn't know I could ditch it. It really impacted every area of my life and made me feel sick.
You are worth the effort to get out of the pattern of fear. Can you become aware of your thoughts? Remember “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” John 14:27 
#renewyourmind #letitgo

How to Live in a State of Joy, Peace, and Love

Life, people, circumstances, the words of others, work... so many things can pull us from the natural state God wants us to be in - a state of peace, joy, and love. 

Last night God wanted to remind me of 1 John 4:18, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (NLT)

I find that I tend to slide into worrying (which is a state of fear). This tendency displays a mindset of wanting to control or "handle" the issues that arise. Perhaps as a child you were taught to solve your own problems, for instance.

But, is that God's view of life and what does all of this have to do with his perfect love? 

Do you understand how deep and wide and full is the love that God has for you?

At one point in my thirties, I read that verse "I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you."(Jeremiah 31:3, AMP). I suddenly understood God really does love me no matter what I have thought, said, or done. 

What does it look like to not only understand this with head knowledge, but to truly embrace it? 

The bottom line is, you matter to God. YOU do! You are not worthy WHEN. You are worthy NOW.

That, in itself, can be a hard concept to grasp and agree with - especially if you have always seen yourself as a driven person. 

Now, let's return to the initial topic. What is running your life right now? What is running your brain? Could it be fear or worry? Could it be to provide the perfect life for your kids or have your house looking the way it "should"?

What would happen if just chose to stop thinking that way. It isn't easy. Your mind is a battlefield, but what you choose to meditate on really does alter your state of peace, joy, and love. When a thought or something comes up, instead of trying to solve the problem yourself, could you take a deep breath and just ask God for the next step? Or if it is an unfounded worry (such as something the could happen in the future, but is not true or real) could you take any Bible verse you know and say it to yourself instead? Replace the yuck with truth. 

Take a step forward with me to choose joy, peace, and love over worry and control. #renewyourmind #changeyourmindsets #youareworthit

What if You Read this Daily?

What if you read the following words to yourself daily? God gave me these words...

I was made for Your glory! 
I have a destiny!
I was made to bring You joy!
I have a purpose!
I was made unique in Your heart!
You will never leave me!
You will never let me down!
Show me where to go and I will run with You!
Your ways are higher than mine.
There is no fear in Your love!

Appropriate Use for Anger

What makes you angry? Do you generally lose your temper when you are mad? Or cry? Or stuff your feelings away?
God can help you use the angry feelings for good.
What is an appropriate way to use anger?
1. Feel the anger. It is normal to feel a feeling. However, if you dwell  in the anger and allow resentment to build, that is when the feeling becomes harmful to yourself and others.
2. Do not feel guilty or bad about feeling angry. Instead, see it as a tool. Did you just have a very dramatic defensive reaction to a small issue? This is a clue to the root causes and by praying about it you can discover what is underneath it all.
3. Pray about what is making you angry. Ask God for the next step. There are many underlying emotions to anger: guilt, fear, pride, insecurity, rejection, loneliness, sadness, fear of failure, anxiety, depression, etc. Anger artificially helps us feel in control when we are actually out of control.

If you are angry because someone has attacked you emotionally, ask yourself, "Does this person's opinion matter more than what/who God says I am?" Does this person have the power to define who you are?

Consider changing the way you view strong emotions. Rather than a burden, see them as a clue to unraveling the path toward freedom in Christ. God wants you to lead a life not based on how you feel, but who you are and where He wants you to go!

Agreement With a Diagnosis

God just revealed to me that I was in agreement with a diagnosis of anxiety from twenty years ago, still. Despite my powerful experience with becoming healed of the migraines, I did not realize there was still this diagnosis and it had become a part of my identity.

What does it look like to be in agreement? To agree with a diagnosis means looking at life through this different lens. What do you say about yourself to others (in reference to the diagnosis)? For instance, for twenty years now I have said, "I am an anxious person." Or "I don't sleep well." The diagnosis had become a part of who I was which now affected sleep and the way I viewed life. By taking on the diagnosis as a part of my identity, it's power grew. I was actually speaking over myself and making it more intensified by saying things like, "I probably will wake up worrying about this." etc.

I didn't realize I was still identifying with this. I no longer took medication for anxiety, but by just having this as a core part of my identity, it has really been affecting my life subtly.

What are you in agreement with? Perhaps a generational issue like "my family has always had trouble with losing their temper"? Or have you been giving a medical diagnosis that has reshaped your entire life? Have you ever found yourself saying something like, "Well, that's just the way I am."

The first step is awareness. Begin to listen to yourself. When you talk (or think) about yourself is there something that you are in agreement with? Jot it down. Pray about it. Ask God what He wants you to know about that.

God wants you to live in ultimate freedom. He can do so much more with you free rather than bound up in sickness and old patterns. He has never had a bad thought about you. It is not His will for you to be sick, but rather in ultimate freedom.

Understand who you are in Christ. Don't know? Check out some verses here. Or just get out your journal and ask God, "What do you want me to know about you? What do you want me to know about me?"

I will write more about strategies to undo old patterns, mindsets, and yuck. I just took the time to do this for myself and feel way different than I did an hour ago. God is awesome! He loves us! Praise the Lord!

What Reality Do You Live From?

What reality do you choose to live from? Are you listening to the world or God? Does the earthly realm and the world of celebrities dictate beauty? Do the talking heads of the internet tell you what to value? Does the reality of your friends' highlight reel on Facebook determine how you are doing in your appearance? Your job? Your parenting abilities or failures?

If we are truly of God, why do we live from the reality of the world? When we became believers the Holy Spirit came to dwell within us. This means you are holy. Your spirit is beautiful and free.

Yet, some of us choose to remain focused on the worldly perspective rather than looking from heaven down. Why? For me, it feels like a lot of is just a habit. But, I also feel the media I listen to or watch, the people I choose to spend time with, and other elements can really lead me back into the worldview.

God wants you to agree with what He says about you. To really be a mover and a changer of worlds you need to step away from the worldview so you can be an influencer of the world not a needy, clingy person who wants the world's approval.

Spend a moment with God. What does He want you to know about Him? What does He want you to know about you. Choose to agree with Him.

Consider doing what I am going to do. Have praise music running continuously in your home. Just on low volume is powerful will change the atmosphere of your home or office. Personally, I find the IHOP KC prayer room live set great http://www.ihopkc.org/prayerroom/, but anything you like will be great. Praise is a weapon. And this, my friends, is a war of the mind. Be on the offensive so that you can be a powerhouse for God rather than weak, seeking man's approval.

Boundaries - Raise the Limit of Your Value by Creating Them

Proverbs 25:28 - Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.

"Boundaries communicate value for what is inside those boundaries.If you have several junk cars out in a field, it is called an eyesore. If you put a fence around your yard, now you have a wrecking yard. If you put a building around those cars, then you have a garage. With each increase of limits, you raise the value of what is inside.You raise the value of what you require before you allow access, you increase the value of what you have. To all who are near, we send a clear message of value about the level of value we have for ourselves by the way we establish boundaries." (Culture of Honor, Danny Silk).
What do the boundaries look like in your life?It is extremely important to draw boundaries around all areas of your life - at work, at home, and in relationships. You have such great value to God.
Several years ago I had a friend who was extremely needy. It drew a lot of energy from me to help her. I was helping her financially and emotionally. I had to draw boundaries with her and move her to an outer circle because I was giving everything I could, but was receiving nothing in return. Likewise, she wanted to discuss her issues, but never took my advice and seemed to want to stay stuck. I had to draw some boundaries and change the level of our friendship.
Is it unbiblical or ungodly to move people out or create boundaries? It is not. We are of great value to God. Do you currently have someone in your life who is toxic? Someone who is always negative or critical of you? What boundaries could you draw to step out of this person's sphere of influence? Can you draw boundaries with this person -- even if he/she is a family member?
What about in other environments? What is currently causing you stress? What can you shift to decrease this stress?
Remember you are so important to God! Your energy, your time, and your love - they are all precious commodities. Use them well.