by | Faith Lived Out
photo credit: flickr (creative commons)
There is great power in the words we say to ourselves and about ourselves. Do you believe that? According to Proverbs 18:21, the tongue has the power of life and death.
I am living proof of the power in our words. A few years ago I was struggling through so many things. Abandoment. Depression. Crying for no apparent reason. Then came the death of my father, and much more. I would constantly ask a friend, “Am I going crazy?” Every time she would say, “You’ve got to stop saying that!” I didn’t get it. I was constantly telling myself I was going crazy for having all these weird emotions.
Guess what finally happened?
I went crazy…
For four days I had literally lost my mind. I talked to people that weren’t there. I saw things that weren’t real. I refused to sleep. I believed what I had told myself, and therefore, my actions followed through with my beliefs.
There is a lady I know who has done this very thing. I have set with her several times listening to her talk about how poor she is. She would say things like, “Nobody helps me. I’m always sick. I’ll never get better. Nothing good ever happens to me.” I’ll admit I stomped out at the end of a few of our meetings wishing she would just put a zipper over her mouth. The negativity was driving me insane. Pardon the pun.
Though it’s been a few years since we’ve talked together for long periods of time, I see today the power in her words. She’s had one foot amputated. She sits in a wheelchair. The last time I visited with her at church, her thoughts and words hadn’t changed an ounce.
I wake up just about every day and tell myself that “Something Great Is Gonna Happen Today!” I thank Joyce Meyer for that inspirtation. It sets the course for my day. I don’t do it perfectly every day, but I’m a work in progress.
What comes out of your mouth can determine your life. Is our destiny in God’s hands? Absolutely. But, He has given us a mouth and a mind to use, and the power to do both good and evil with them both.
If you tell yourself you’re ugly…. then you will see yourself as ugly.
If you tell yourself you’re fat… then you will see yourself as fat.
If you tell yourself you’re crazy… then you will eventually see yourself as crazy.
You get the point.
To this day, I refuse to allow those words to come off my lips. I have seen crazy and I don’t like it. I will not allow the devil to convince AGAIN that I am.
As a matter of fact, when someone tells me I’m crazy or I’ve lost my mind, I am quick to go on the defense. I get a little over protective about those words and I plan to stay that way.
Choose your words wisely. They will impact your future.
What thoughts or words do you need to toss out today? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
photo credit: JonJon2k8(creative commons)
It amazes me how sometimes you don’t realize just how much you needed something until you get it.
Last week I had the privilege of leading a chapel service with the women at Table Rock Freedom Center. Chapel simply means you get the opportunity to hang out with these amazing women for a couple of hours and share your testimony, hear their stories, and get to know them more. It’s a blessing for anyone involved.
Here’s the cool part:
I walked away from that experience with a peace I didn’t even know I needed.
I had the privilege of sharing my testimony with the girls. When I began to share the story of my father’s death, the tears started to flow. Even though it’s been over two years, perhaps they always will. I told them the story of bringing my dad to know Christ on his death-bed. What a blessed opportunity that was. Though he was barely able to talk, I read the sinner’s prayer and he repeated amen at the end.
I have never gotten the answer as to how exactly my dad died. Of course that leaves room for the imagination to run wild. It has. I’m a person who likes to have answers, and not having the reasoning to something this big has bothered me.
I then shared about the event leading up to my dad’s death. The evening before we, had a great phone conversation. I was planning a weekend trip to come and see him. He was struggling with some things, so I gave him some Bible verses to read. I remember saying, “Whenever you get frustrated just open it and read those verses.”
He replied in his best redneck voice, “I’ll be reading all the time.”
We ended the conversation with “I love you” and hung up.
The next morning….
He was dead.
After I shared my testimony and the night came to a close, one of the most amazing things happened. One of the women, Eliza, spoke life changing words into my life.
“What if,” she asked, “that night your dad opened the Scriptures that you gave him, read those words, and they really sunk in? Maybe he really accepted Christ that night in the deepest places, and God finally said, ‘It’s time to come home.'”
It was as if a brick had been taken off my shoulders. A brick I didn’t even know was there. I have no doubt that God was speaking to me through this beautiful woman. He was giving me an answer that I had been so desperately seeking. It was time for my dad to go home. It was time.
I woke up the next morning with peace. My daddy was right where he needed to be and I didn’t need to question anymore. My Father in Heaven had given me comfort that I so desperately needed, but hadn’t realized just how much.
Two days later I opened my cell phone and deleted my daddy’s phone number. It was time to let that go. It was time. There were no tears. There were no regrets. There was simply peace.
What unanswered things are you holding onto that you need to let go? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
photo credit: jayneandd(creative commons)
According to dictionary.com, the definition of completion is:
the action or process of finishing something.
I don’t know about you, but I have gone through life with a lot of unfinished things. I didn’t finish writing that book report in elementary school, so I just made up a story. I didn’t complete the required criteria to attend the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) field trip in high school, so I didn’t get to attend. I quit going to college after one year. I quit writing because I got depressed. I stopped hoping because I let my faith run dry. The list goes on and on.
Have you been down this road too? You start something only to walk away and leave it unfinished.
Yesterday I celebrated completion. It was the one year anniversary of my graduation from the Table Rock Freedom Center. One year ago I was able to add that word to my vocabulary. I had finally completed something. What a feeling!
For those of you who don’t know about the Table Rock Freedom Center, you can read my latest post about this life changing organization here. As I have said many times, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. But I did it!
It wasn’t just myself that added completion to my list that day. My friend Amy joined me too. We went through the program together. We fought. We screamed at each other. We cussed at each other. We cried together. We prayed together. We screamed together. We laughed together. There were days I couldn’t stand to look at her. And there were days she felt the same about me.
But it never failed, that after a day or so we couldn’t keep going the way we were. We would sit down to talk. Our talk would turn into a louder argument. We would each have our opinions. Then our hearts would soften. By the end of it we were embracing each other through tears. You can’t live with someone 24 hours a day and not grow a bond.
I saw Amy yesterday. We haven’t seen each other much since we left TRFC. Our lives have gone in separate directions, but the bond still remains. I visited her church and we stood together and worshiped like old times. We laughed over lunch and of course reminisced about the good and bad times during the course of that year.
It was nice.
It reminded me that all friendships don’t look the same. Though we don’t see or talk to each other daily, the bond is still there. It picked up where it left off. It always will.
I could have found many ways to celebrate yesterday, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Taking part in the day with the person who shared that moment of completion with me was perfect.
Enduring that intense year has taught me that I no longer have to fear completion. Because of God’s strength in me to overcome that fear, I am now
- Finishing my college degree
- Writing that book I’ve always wanted to write
- Speaking to people with boldness and faith
- Pursuing relationships that could have been lost
- Walking through the hard things despite my fear
Who knew such a word could mean so much?
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us-Hebrews 12:1
What have you recently completed that you never thought you could? If you haven’t done so yet, what fear is holding you back? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out
From Sundi Jo: This is a guest post by Melissa Mashburn. Melissa is a woman who is passionately pursuing God every day by taking her everyday, ordinary life and placing it as an offering to Him. Married to her best friend for 18 years and proud mama to two teenage boys, her life is full of adventure.You can visit her on Twitter or on her ministry blog, Mel’s World.
photo credit: dreamstimefree
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:20 NIV
Do you start your day with an attitude of gratitude?
Have you taken the time today to thank the One who has given you all the blessings in your life?
I know, I know…it can be something that just “slips our mind”. We have good intentions, but life happens and we forget to stop and thank the Creator for all the abundant blessings in our life.
Oh, you are shaking your head and saying, well, Melissa, you don’t know what my family is dealing with, or you have no idea how hard things are right now, and you know what…you are absolutely right, I don’t know, but He does.
On top of that, I bet that even in the midst of the trials that we are experiencing right now that there are things we can take time to be thankful for in our lives.
We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. -Charles Swindoll
Listen friend, I am not in any way shape of form discounting what you are going through in your life right now. Believe me, I am in the midst of weathering some storms as well, but you see, I am not focused on the storms…I am focused on the One in control of it all.
Yes, there are times when it would be very easy for me to sit back or crawl back into a pit of despair, but I am choosing to wake up everyday with an attitude of gratitude. We have been given so many great and abundant gifts, sometimes it is just a matter of stopping the cycle long enough so we can count our blessings. What better time to start something like that then right now.
Each of us has things in our lives that we are thankful for, but often time take for granted. What if you and I decided to stop taking those things for granted and started showing those we love just how much we appreciate them, starting each day with a prayer of thanksgiving to God the Father.
The best gifts to give: To your friend, loyalty; To your enemy, forgiveness; To your boss, service; To a child, a good example; To your parents, gratitude and devotion; To your mate, love and faithfulness; To all men and women, charity. -Oren Arnold
A great way to start is by getting (or making) a gratitude journal. I cannot think of a better way to count your blessings than by taking the time to write them all down. It is also a great reminder for us to be on the look out each day to seek out the things we have in our lives that are blessings. The gratitude journal may not come easily at first, takes a little time, a lot of prayer and even more practice…but what a great way to start your day!
What step can you take to have an attitude of gratitude today? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out
Last week I had a special guest post from Dr. Angela Bisignano on Stepping Into Courage. It was too good to miss, but in case you did, I wanted to highlight some of my favorites from her inspiring words.
“Every day we have the opportunity to choose to live courageous lives. The choice may not always be easy; however, living a life of courage can be thrilling.”
Fear has been a number one struggle for me most of my life. However, I didn’t always know it. I pretended to be tough, but inside I was scared to death. I’m a constant work in progress in this area.
My life verse is 2 Timothy 1:7 for a reason – because I struggle with fear. But God reminds me,
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Here are a few other great points that Angela made:
- The more we are able to understand our fear and the influence it can have on us, the greater the possibility of conquering it and over coming it.
- We are not created or called to live a life of fear; rather, God is calling us to a life of courage.
- If we desire to live truly courageous lives we will need to be aware of those things that keep us fearful.
I wanted to bring up this post again but it is a great reminder of the courage we can have through Christ, if we allow ourselves to do so.
Here’s how:
- Leave a comment below. Answer the question at the bottom of this post.
- Fill out this entry form here.
- Share this post via Facebook or Twitter. If you tweet, you could say something like this: (Win your copy of Beautifully Gifted from @angelabisignano today: http://wp.me/p1GLwZ-G1)
On Friday, August 12, 2011, I will select one person, based on my evaluation of the comments. If you are selected, I will notify you via email.
What can you do today to step into courage? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out
From Sundi Jo: This is a guest post by Angela Bisignano. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and an M.S. in Ministry. She has been working with women for over fifteen years: counseling, consulting, teaching, and mentoring. Angela is passionate about empowering people to find the hope and joy in God’s high calling. Angela’s first book, Beautifully Gifted: Equipping Today’s Women for the High Calling of God is being released in September 2011. (Keep reading for details on how you could win a copy today!) She and her husband Gerard are raising their two sons, Jonathan and David. Angela spends her time divided between the beauty of Southern California living and the Sierra Mountains. She loves her family, connecting to the hearts of her boys, deep conversation, traveling, and long walks with her golden retriever, Bella. You can find her on Twitter and visit her website for more information.
Every day we have the opportunity to choose to live courageous lives. The choice may not always be easy; however, living a life of courage can be thrilling. According to Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, courage means: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand fear, danger, or difficulty. A lot of things exist in life that can keep us from stepping into courage.
Fear is probably the greatest factor in keeping us from living courageous lives. Fear can have a way of boxing in our world. It can have a gripping impact. It can influence us in so many ways.
- We can be momentarily paralyzed by fear.
- We can become physically or emotionally ill.
- We can be tormented for long periods of time.
- Fear can place major limitations on our freedom and lives.
The more we are able to understand our fear and the influence it can have on us, the greater the possibility of conquering it and over coming it. We are not created or called to live a life of fear; rather, God is calling us to a life of courage. I am reminded of the words written in the Book of Joshua,
Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~Josh. 1:9
These should be comforting words to each one of us. God has not called us to be afraid. He wants us to live a life of courage. We have a choice in the matter. We can live a life laden with fear, or we can choose to step into courage. The choice is up to us.
If we desire to live truly courageous lives we will need to be aware of those things that keep us fearful. Here are three important things to keep in mind when we feel our lives are more fueled by fear than courage.
God is here with us. We don’t need to be afraid.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Lord you God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
~Deut. 31:6
God promises to give us peace of mind and heart.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14: 27
God doesn’t want us to be troubled.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me.
~John 14:1
God never promises that our lives will be easy or carefree. What He promises is that He will always be with us, “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you” (Heb. 13:5b).
We can take great comfort knowing that whatever our life circumstances, whatever obstacles we must overcome, God is here with us. He will guide us
and give us everything we need to live lives of courage. All we need to do is to be willing. Willing to do what He is calling us to do. It may mean going against the grain of what everyone else is doing. It may mean taking on a new position or a transition in careers. It may mean venturing into a completely new geographic location. It may involve healing in an area of life that is causing you to be brokenhearted or has kept your heart in captivity. It may mean that you take a stand that others are afraid to take. Whatever it is be willing. Go where the courage of God leads you.
I love the words once spoken by Billy Graham:
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
Dare to step outside the box of fear. Be courageous and bold, step into the courage of God and you can change the world.
I am excited to give away a copy of Angela’s new book, not yet released, Beautifully Gifted: Equipping Today’s Women for the High Calling of God, to my readers. To get a chance at winning, you must do the following three steps:
- Leave a comment below. Answer Angela’s question at the bottom of this post.
- Fill out this entry form here.
- Share this post via Facebook or Twitter. If you tweet, you could say something like this: (Win your copy of Beautifully Gifted from @angelabisignano today: http://wp.me/p1GLwZ-G1)
On Friday, August 12, 2011, I will select one person, based on my evaluation of the comments. If you are selected, I will notify you via email.
What can you do today to step into courage? Comment below…
