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Letting God Be Enough {Book Review}

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Letting God Be Enough Book Review

Have you ever struggled with letting God be enough?  I have many times.  For some reason I tend to allow my weaknesses and failures keep me hidden from what God is able to do within me.  I allow those doubts and fears to creep in and take over the truth that God has for me.  But instead of trusting what God has for me, the pain of what I’m lacking hurts and I fill the space with something else as an attempt to make the pain less.  

When I’m busy it doesn’t hurt as much.

When I’m over scheduled then I’m preoccupied with the schedule.

When I overextend myself by helping others I can say they ‘need’ me.

When I’m distracted I don’t have to deal with what’s really at hand.

It’s all a lie I’ve believed that if I’m not doing anything then I’m worthless.  I’ve had to work really hard over these past two years about what I’m dependent on and where I’m receiving my validation and affirmation, from people or God?  Giving myself the gift of honesty has been the best gift ever but has required a lot of disconnecting, detaching, and being still with hard truths that God has revealed in me.  Striving to be all this world desires me to be will always leave me weary.  Surrendering my desires and need to be in control to God will always set me in a pattern of freedom and restore me beyond measure.

Surrendering to the plans God has for us isn’t always easy.  I recently had the pleasure of reading “Letting God Be Enough:  Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free” by Erica Wiggenhorn.  Each chapter ends with a Bible reading plan, bullets points of the chapter, challenging questions to ask yourself and a prayer.  She does a wonderful job of taking us on a journey to uncover our fears of inadequacy and showing us when we trust in God’s power what He has for us is always enough.  Sounds easy right?  (Not so much).  

One chapter in the book that hit close to the heart for me was chapter eight, ‘Dealing with Distractions.’  Erica starts the chapter with the Bible verse Exodus 11:8, “And he went out from Pharaoh with hot anger.”  Moses had a constant struggle in ‘what battle am I fighting?’  In Exodus 11, Moses had to go before Pharaoh over and over before each plague and speak on behalf of the Israelites to tell Pharoah, ‘let my people go.’  At this point he had already done this nine times.  Moses was getting a little frustrated and this last encounter with Pharaoh, he let his anger get the best of him.  

Can you relate?

I can relate to Moses allowing his emotions to get the best of him.  In becoming emotionally attatched to our situations and outcomes not turning out how we want them.  I love how Erica describes how our emotions can really be distractions that veer us away from the actual battle God desires for us and what our anger really means.

“Anger becomes a distraction that demonstrates our distrust of God.” #LettingGodBeEnough @EricaWiggenhorn Click To Tweet

I can be like Moses when I see a pattern of injustice, when the outcome isn’t going the way I want, or when I get baited into a debate or argument that isn’t mine to defend in the first place.  

Erica challenges us to ask ourselves,

‘What if our anger is acutally the fear that God won’t make good on His promises and right every wrong in the end?’ #LettingGodBeEnough @EricaWiggenhorn Click To Tweet

During these uncertain times one thing I’ve had to let go of is the fight to be right and embrace the battle to be well.  No one ever says I wish I fought my battles with more anger.  The only control we have over our situations and circumstances is how we respond to them.  Fighting anger with anger never ends well.  

There’s an analogy Erica uses in this chapter about a golf ball that came way too close to her face by a reckless golfer who couldn’t wait to tee off until they were safely off the green.  The golfer’s actions could have resulted in a serious injury for Erica.  The lack of concern for the safety of others struck a chord in her husband in which he defended her by addressing the golfers’ and resulted in them leaving the golf course.  How many times have we been in this situation when an injustice occured and we are left with how will we respond?  

Of course God doesn’t want us to just stand on the golf course and allow golf balls to fly by our faces over and over, he wants us to practice wisdom and get out of the way.  Maybe that’s the point God is trying to tell us, that our anger gets in the way of the battle He’s trying to fight on our behalf.  That the real battle is between Him and the enemy.   

Moses’ anger would never change Pharoah.  God just needed Moses’ surrender, to be His vessel, obedient, and willing.  

In this section Erica challenges us with some great questions, when anger arises, we must ask ourselves, 

Is this my battle to fight?

What is my role in this battle?

Why am I really angry?  

 

Anger itself is not a sin, it’s what we do with the anger that gets us into trouble.  It’s normal to feel angry but not okay to take it out on others or stay in the state of anger. 

Are we really trusting in God when we become angry?  

Here are the things I can become angry with when I’m not putting my trust in God:

My situation

The outcome

Another person’s choices

Injustices

How people treat me

Maybe our next action step in allowing God to be enough is just getting out of the way?

We can be released from the responsibility of others actions when we trust God with our provision, protection, and outcomes.  We can be set free in our surrender and get out of the cycle of striving to handle our situations our way.  Thank you Erica for writing this book and leading us through the life of Moses.  I needed to hear this message!  

Prayer-  

God I know I can get stuck in patterns of striving and trying to do things my way.  I’m am guilty of not always living in what you are able to do.  I know anger is a warning sign letting me know I am not trusting in you.  Forgive me for not trusting in you.  I pray I will give the battle to be right to you, surrender my struggles, anxieties, and worries to you.  I will trust in what you are able to do.  I praise you God for who you are and what you are able to do in my life.  Thank you God for never giving up on me and always being there for me.  In Jesus name, Amen.  

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Erica Wiggenhorn is an award-winning author and founder of Every Life Ministries, brining you the truths of Scripture to transform your life.  Erica uses her Bible studies to bring the word of God to women across the globe to help encourage them to discover their unique purpose, embrace God’s promises, and live by His power.  Erica lives in Phoenix with her husband, two kids and cute adorable dogs.  To learn more about Erica and her ministry visit www.ericawiggenhorn.com and on Instagram @ericawiggenhorn.

 

Other Posts you may like:

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

Letting Go and Letting God

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3 Myths About Dysfunction That Keep You STUCK

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If you’re anything like me, at one point in your life dysfunction has served some sort of role in your life.  Maybe for a short while, or maybe it’s still a struggle.  Whatever role dysfunction has played in your life, our dysfunction doesn’t disqualify us, make us incompetent or inadequate, it makes us human.  We all have had dysfunction in our lives and most of us probably still do.  But that doesn’t mean we are less than or unable to still be used by God in a mighty way.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve had so much dysfunction in my life, I could write a book about it.  Growing up when we had problems we didn’t really talk about them.  God and good counselors have helped me so much in my journey in learning how to deal with my problems in a healthier way.  I actually didn’t know I had developed an unhealthy coping mechanism of codependency as a way to get my needs met.  I was very dependent on people to receive my approval, praise, and worthiness.

'For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.' Galatians 1:10 Click To Tweet

At one point I was a big time people pleaser.  I also felt very validated if I could rescue, fix, or solve someone else’s problems, because then I didn’t have to focus on my own problems.  Along the way I found some eye opening discoveries about my dysfunction that kept me stuck in my circumstances.  Here are 3 myths about my dysfunction I would like to share with you.

3 Myths About Dysfunction That Keep You STUCK:

 MYTH #1–Dysfunction is functional- This is very true for someone who lives in dysfunction.  Dysfunction serves us all well until it doesn’t.  In fact, sometimes we don’t even realize something is dysfunctional in our lives, until it is no longer functional!  The enemy would like nothing more than to keep us hidden in our patterns of dysfunction and tell us these patterns are totally NORMAL. These patterns keep us stuck and hidden from God’s plan for us.  Dysfunction keeps us in chaos, making it hard to hear God’s voice and plan over our lives.  It’s not until dysfunction starts crumbling all around us and we slowly get out of the chaos can we hear and see more clearly, that dysfunction does not serve us well over time.  Over time, dysfunction can become very comfortable for us, making it difficult to detach from it because it’s what we know.  Learning how to separate from your dysfunction can be one of the most loving things you do for yourself.  Detaching from the chaos will help one learn  healthier ways to deal with problems instead of reverting back to unhealthy dysfunctional patterns.  Letting go of codependency or dysfunctional patterns may feel overwhelming at first, but this is the first step in allowing God to refine and renew us for His eternal plans.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

MYTH #2–Dysfunction is Absent from my life.  Can we say denial?  The absence of dysfunction doesn’t mean dysfunction is absent.  I’ll never forget a forensics file episode I watched.  The detective said, ‘the absence of evidence, doesn’t mean that evidence is absent.’  That statement was so profound to me–just because we don’t see the evidence doesn’t mean someone didn’t try to wipe away or clean up the evidence.  Trying to get rid of evidence doesn’t negate a crime happened.  Just like our lives, we can become really good at hiding and ‘cleaning up the crime scene,’ to look really good on the outside but that doesn’t mean dysfunction isn’t still lying underneath the surface.  We can fake it till we make it all we want, but that doesn’t mean our dysfunctional problems will go away if we don’t address them!  Just because we can’t see or recognize our dysfunction, doesn’t mean it’s not there.  The enemy uses dysfunction in our lives to keep us blind and deaf, to not really see or hear God clearly.  This is why it’s so important to stay close to God.  Draw near to Him by reading the Bible and praying.  Knowing what His truth is will set us free every time.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1

MYTH #3–I’m too dysfunctional to be helped- This couldn’t be further from the truth.  If this were true, Jesus would have never came and died on the cross for us.  No one is ever too dysfunctional to receive mercy and forgiveness from our Savior.  Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed in our dysfunction, that we don’t even know where to begin, and think why bother it will never get better.  This is a lie the enemy would like us to believe, that we are hopeless, not worth rescuing or saving, that we will never be good enough.  It may be true we have dysfunction and make mistakes, but what we do isn’t who we are.  Our dysfunction is an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus.  Our dependence in Him in what He’s able to do, helps us rely on His strength, not our own and trusts He is able.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

Stepping into a place of vulnerability where our dysfunction is revealed can be a scary place to be!  Because that means we have to deal with ourselves and may have to do a lot of work to unravel the mess.  There is no one else I’d rather unravel my mess and peel back the layers of dysfunction with than Jesus.  He knows how to refine, restore, and renew me.

When we allow Jesus into our messes and dysfunction we become crucified in Him. It is no longer us who lives, but Him who lives in us. You are loved, friend! Click To Tweet

Are there dysfunctional patterns that have served you well?

How has dysfunction kept you stuck?

What is one action step you can take today that steps out of dysfunction into God’s presence?

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You Were Made For Greatness: 10 Lessons We Learn From David

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You were made for greatness. All of us were. This is the first time I’ve written on my blog in six months, it was good to take a much-needed break to be able to rest and focus on a writing project I’m working on. I’ve had the opportunity to review this amazing book”. I AM David, 10 Lessons in Greatness. What a great and timely message to share. I LOVED this book and EVERYTHING I learned. This book is one of my favorite ways to study the Bible, study the person, and what they go through, study their flaws, strengths, make them human and relatable.

Dr. Jimmy Evans is a Pastor of Gateway Church in Texas and founder CEO of MarriageToday. He is author of many other books and hosts of the TV show The Overcoming Life. In his books and television show, it’s apparent his mission is to help others step into the greatness God created them for—to be overcomers in Christ.

Life has so many defeating circumstances it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by them. I AM David gives 10 valid, relatable lessons through the faith, strengths, weakness, failures, and successes of David. His life and heart have paved a pathway for greatness we can follow. Here are my favorite lessons from the book.

10 Lessons of Greatness we learn from David:

1. “You won’t discover your true greatness until you find it on the battlefield.”— When you read about David in the Bible, he was one of great valor, what great leaders were made of, he even was good looking. I love his perspective of what makes us great isn’t in our accomplishments, it’s staying on the battlefield. We all know the scened when David goes to the rooftop, sees Bathsheba, has an affair, covers it up by having her husband killed. I didn’t realize in the context I’ve read many times before, David was supposed to be out of the battlefield not on the rooftop getting into trouble! “The rooftop is a place of darkness, where people try to escape from God’s will for their lives” (quote Jimmy Evans). He says the rooftop will always rob us of being great. The devil knows our weakness and will take every opportunity to put us in the right place for us to fail. You can’t hide from sin. Sometimes we retreat to those rooftops out of fear of what we will face on the battlefield. We will always have fears but can trust in God’s courage to get us through, it is enough. We have to face our fears, commit to courage, and do what’s right despite our fears.

“The secret of peace is not resting on the rooftop. It is winning on the battlefield” #Quote #IAMDavid #JimmyEvansClick To Tweet

2. “Taking responsibility is what makes the difference between failure and success.” Amen to that! If there is one quality about David I admire was his ability to own his own stuff, be willing to admit, ‘I messed up, please forgive me.’ He didn’t use blame, avoid, run, or hide from his sin, he repented and became one of the greatest leaders of the Bible because he took responsibility for his own actions.

3. “Rise above the pain of the past.”— Have you ever met someone who always played the victim card and wasn’t able to move beyond their past? I’m here to tell you, the past does not need you anymore, the future does. I didn’t realize from David’s upbringing his possible strained relationship with his dad and rejection by his brother Eliab could have played a part in David’s choices. It’s so important to acknowledge the wounds of our hearts and deal with them, not to substitute other things to mend them like alcohol, drugs, food, or work. There comes a time where we have to make the decision and ask am I willing to be well? Or do I want to keep lingering in the past? Facing the pain of our past can be one of the most freeing things we can do to severe the chains of bondage.

4. David the worshipper- One can’t read the Bible without going through the book of Psalms or memorizing a few lines from it. Psalms is filled with David’s heartache and praises. His ability to praise and worship God is one of the most astounding accounts in the Bible. I admit I can fail in this department and question when I don’t feel God near, oh it’s because of my poor worship! I love how David is able to be real with his feeling and emotions and create this intimate relationship with God. It’s a place to get rid of your bitterness, anger, and pride, lay it at God’s feet and allow Him to have it. Worship invites God’s presence to be powerful in our lives. Worship is worth no matter the cost. It helps us turn away from laziness and make our focus on God and not other things distracting us in our lives. In order to be great, we have “to be willing to esteem God more than the opinion of others.”

“Worship without a price is false worship” #quote Jimmy Evans I AM DavidClick To Tweet

5. Be Positive Regardless of the Circumstances- David has a pretty impressive track record on the battlefield. He killed lions and bears when he was a shepherd boy, he led mighty men to win many battles, he thought like a winner, battles were won and giants fell. He had “faith-focused thinking that was God-directed and reward-oriented.” He believed in the living God when he fought Goliath. The stone didn’t kill him his faith and Go’s power did. He didn’t overthink what if? Or how will I be able? He just went for it. He was under the authority and covenant of God, Goliath wasn’t, therefore David was under God’s protection. When we are under God’s protection we can defeat any enemy!

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail.”

When we fight for God, we must accept the fact we will have resistance. Sometimes we need to change our tools to fight, not every problem will be a nail. Don’t let resistance keep you back from greatness.

6. Submit to God’s Authority and to those He Delegates— If there is one theme in the Bible is half-hearted obedience. One reason why king Saul was no longer king was because of his disobedience. If we can’t submit to authority then we think we know best and are in charge, not God. God is the creator of authority and will not tolerate rebellion. I meet a lot of people who say they are believers. They believe in the Jesus died for my sins part, but not always the LORD of my life part. “Salvation requires submission.” We can’t be the authority in our own lives and be. Submission is the way and path to true greatness.

“Submission to authority opens God’s heart and hand to us as we walk in His will.”

7. Admit Weakness and Become Accountable to Others— Great leaders, admit their mistakes and learn from them. Learning how to be transparent and humble will be one of your greatest attributes. Hiding behind fears, shame, and failure will never get us anywhere. One way to achieve this is to have an accountability person in your life that can speak into blind spots. One thing David did well, was listen to others in his life, having anointed wise ministers that could help him live in his greatest potential.

8. Depend on God and Give Him the Glory- We can all fall victim to the whispers of pride. We see all the time those who rise to power, fall hard once greed and pride take over their lives. Arrogance will never serve us well and God will make sure pride will never succeed. When choose to walk in surrender and submission we choose to walk in humility with God. The place of humbleness is where God protects us. Places of pride is where satan pounces and preys on his victims to make them fall. David had his moment in 1 Chronicles 21 when he took the census. He depended on his own strength and not God’s. One question that struck me hard Jimmy asks is, “How much can God give me before I use it against him?” Woah. I have been guilty many times of throwing things back in God’s face and giving Him a list of all the things I’ve done. Then I’m reminded where I need to be, on my knees praying in a place of worship, giving Him the glory.

9. Overcome discouragement- “Every great man or woman of God must overcome times of darkness and deep discouragement in order to achieve his or her destiny in God.” We all have experienced devastation in our lives. It’s so easy to give in to despair. We can learn from David what Satan uses for evil God uses for good. To be attacked by the devil is to be expected, you never know what God does behind the scenes. God always has an answer for the victory and is in control. Nothing is impossible for him.

10. Be Willing- None of David’s greatness would be possible is he wasn’t willing to be willing. “All of us are destined for greatness if we choose to surrender to God and His plan for our lives.”

You were made for greatness–God’s greatness. Satan will do everything possible to tear you away from God’s plans for His greatness in your life. Remember the lessons from David, one of the greatest leaders, warriors, and kings of the Bible.

What is your favorite lesson from David?

I recommend this book to anyone who has a desire for greatness. Who desires to learn and want to be well. I hope you consider reading I AM David and be blessed for all it has to offer. We can learn so much from David. Sometimes it’s not about getting to the outcome we desire, it’s what we learn along the way. Thank you Pastor Jimmy Evans for writing this book!

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3 Ways to Be Honest With YourSelf

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Have you ever had one of those eye opening moments that grabbed your attention?  One of those moments God used to show you a deeper meaning to what is really going on in your life?

The other day as I was reading my Bible study No Other gods by Kelly Minter, I noticed something moving in the corner of the room.  As I looked closer I realized IT WAS A MOUSE!  I had a moment of fear come over me.  How long has this mouse been there?  Were there more?  And then my fear came true, I saw 5 more sightings of the mice scurrying across my kitchen floor!

What I had been reading in my Bible study only moments before, was about being fruitful and multiplying.  And then it hit me.  Is it possible that we can allow the wrong things in our lives to create bad fruit and multiply in our lives, like the mice?

When someone has an infestation of mice, no one says, ‘It’s ok, they can just live here.’  Or, ‘It’s totally normal for the mice to be here.’  Or just pretend they’re not there.  That would be considered crazy and insane, right?

The same goes for our spiritual lives as well.  Why would we allow for crazy cycles of brokenness to perpetuate in our lives and label them as normal or pretend they’re not there?  This is just as crazy as not setting a mouse trap or calling the exterminator.

Unless we step into places of honesty, we can never be fruitful and multiply the way God intended.

3 Ways to Be Honest With Yourself:

 1.  Acknowledge-  We can never learn how to be honest with ourselves when we are trying to pretend we’re something we’re not.  Or when we put labels of normalcy on things that are dysfunctional.  The sooner we live in the honesty of God’s truth, the better we will be able to start growing the fruit in our lives that God intended.  Whatever is going on in your life, be gentle with yourself.  Honesty can be hard, because it often can reveal things in our past we’re not proud of, things we’ve been in denial about, or poor choices we’ve made.

Acknowledgement is the first step in being honest with yourself, one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Click To Tweet

“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.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

2.  Accept-  One prayer I have learned to depend on, is the Serenity prayer.  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.  Learning to accept the things we cannot control will open a whole new set of doors that allows you to be free from your burdens and circumstances and step into more places of honesty.  Having the courage to change the things that you can, like what you’re exposing yourself to, can free you from the lies that perpetuate crazy cycles.  Seeking wisdom in God’s word will help you discern what’s His truth and what isn’t helping you step into acceptance of your situation.

3.  Abide- “I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5.  The more we are honest with ourselves and our situations, the clearer we can hear and discern the voice of God.  When we abide in Him, in His word, we can see His fruit growing in our lives.  There will be joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Learning to abide helps us stay in places of honesty and recognize when there is either stagnant growth or bad fruit growing in our lives and giving ourselves the gift of honesty to say out loud, 'Lord I messed up, I've gotten off track, I need your help.' Click To Tweet

God’s will, will never ask us to lie, hide or go against His will.  Honesty begins with putting a boundary on the craziness of our situations or lives and being open and willing to acknowledge and accept what we can’t control, so we can abide in God’s greatest promises.

Being honest with ourselves, doesn’t allow hidden places of our hearts to stay in places of darkness.  Staying in places of honesty allows for God’s freedom to overflow in abundance in our lives.

The next day after setting the mouse traps, I got up to finish my Bible study.  This time, I did not see one mouse nor did one mouse get caught in the trap.  And then the doubt and the questioning set in, ‘did I really see the mice?’  Just  because I can’t see the mice doesn’t mean they’re not there.

This is what the enemy does to us so many times, ‘Did God really say?’ or ‘Did that really happen?’

Be careful of the enemy’s tactics to twist and deceive.  Don’t allow him to knock you off course and dismantle your confidence.  Stay strong, stay close to God’s words and stay in your places of honesty.  You won’t regret it.

Are you able to stay in places of honesty?

How has honesty allowed you to gain more freedom?

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Have You Ever Been a Holy Mess? Interview with Michelle Rabon’s New Book: Holy Mess

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Have you ever just felt like your life was a mess?  Or maybe even a Hot Mess?  But a Holy Mess?  That’s a whole other level!  Just reading the title makes me relate!

What if our Holy Messes were apart of God’s Holy Purpose for us?

What if God’s Holy Purpose could not be carried out in us if we didn’t have our Messes?

Our messes are God’s platform to carry out His greatest plans.  He doesn’t need us to do this, He WANTS US to carry out His plans.  He could have chosen to live anywhere in the world but He chose to reside in our hearts.

I want to introduce you to Michelle Rabon the author of a Holy Mess.  She actually wrote “Holy Mess” as both a traditional book with a coordinating Bible study. The benefit of the book is to help women find freedom from the messes of their life through Christ and walk forward in faith. It will help women see that God meets us in the midst of every mess we will face in this life and He will walk us through it all.

So let’s get started!

Heather:  What is the story behind Holy Mess?  What drove you to write this book?

Michelle:  I never set out to write a book in all honesty. I accepted Christ at the age of 19, but it took until my late 20s to really understand what it meant to be a woman radically changed by the Gospel. I know God saved me and changed me, but I didn’t know how I was supposed to live that out. 

From the time I was 19 to my late 20s, I was married, had three children, lost my father, brother, mother in law and had two miscarriages. There was a lot of life, a lot of hurt and little understanding of how the Gospel could meet me in the midst of it all. Holy Mess really is 10 years of hard fought lessons in one book. Everything God has used to teach me about what the Gospel really means for our lives every day. 

I wrote the idea on a piece of paper three years ago. I knew that all I walked through was not without reason and it was meant to be shared. The desire of my heart and the burden God placed on my heart was to help other women see the power of the Gospel for every area of her life. 

Heather: What does it mean to be a woman who is radically changed by the gospel?  

Michelle:  Being a woman who is radically changed by the gospel is a reflection of the power of what Christ can do in a woman’s life. When we accept the gift of salvation and surrender our lives to God because of Christ,  who went to a cross on our behalf – God begins to shape us into His holy daughters. Our perfection isn’t required because He meets us in the midst of our messes. 

When we are radically changed we are moved from our old way to a new way, a new life. A life of abundance and hope. It does not mean God is offering us a perfect life, but He says I will meet you in it. He says I am with you every step, and He will be faithful to bring the holy to His radically changed daughters.

Heather:  What was your favorite and least favorite part of the process of the Holy mess?  

Michelle:  My favorite part of the process was learning so much about the women of the Bible. There is so much that God will teach us through the people in the pages of Scripture. Their stories resonate with us because they are like you and I, just a few hundred years between us. 

My least favorite, having to walk out what God was teaching me, every word I wrote I lived out first before it found its way onto a page. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it. 

Heather:  If there is one take away message you can share from the Holy mess what would that be?  

Michelle:  That if God can change the women of the Bible then He can change you, and when He changes you, He will walk this life with you. 

 

Michelle is a wife and mom of three who is learning to embrace the messiness of life and walk in the grace of God. When she isn’t chasing or homeschooling her little ones, she is writing, drinking coffee, and serving women in her local church. You can find her at Displayinggrace.com, Instagram @displayinggrace and Facebook @displaygrace

All book information is at www.holymessbook.com

 

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When Unconditional Love is the Outcome

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Have you ever had to swallow some hard truth?  A truth so hard to grasp you didn’t want to hold onto it?

When we truthfully sit with hard questions to examine our hearts to search for anything ruminating in the spaces that belong to God–we discover the fears, doubts, worries and anxieties holding us back from the ultimate outcome of receiving His love.

Have you ever been in a place of desperation or despair, wondering are God’s promises and miracles even for real?  When I get to these places of doubt or disappointment I have to take a step back and see what am I holding onto and where am I really placing my hope?

Honestly I’ve been afraid of the truth of what might never will be.  I’ve had to process what’s really God’s will verses my will and ask do they align with one another?

I’ve had to give A LOT of fears and doubts over to God over the years and Trust He know what’s best.  Believe what He has for me is better.  But when you’re in the daily grind and the cycles of brokenness continually perpetuate overtime, you feel like you’re just running on the treadmill and get weary and tired.

3 Ways to Allow Love to Be in the Outcome-

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?  Who may live on your holy mountain?” Psalm 15:1

1. Sit with the Truth by Asking Hard Questions–  Where are we dwelling in pretend world or reality?  Where are we putting our hope and trust?  What do God’s Promises and Miracles mean to me?  Am I really committing to God or tweaking his plan to fit my own conveniences?  Is my way to do things more important than my obedience to God?  Truthfully answering these questions helps empty our hearts of anything getting in the way of receiving God’s love.

My answer-  I think we try to fit God into a box of what we want, demand he does them and then get frustrated when what we ask for doesn’t happen.  I think we can stand on sides of God’s promises and miracles.  One side is doubt and we dwell outside of his miracles thinking they are not for us and will never happen.  The other side of God’s promises/miracles lies entitlement, we want his Promises and Miracles NOW.  And when they don’t happen when we want them to, we become disappointed.  Click here if you missed last month’s post Why we should let go of the miracle.

Are we truly living in his promises and what he's able to do or putting our own expectations on what God can do? Click To Tweet

When we put our hope and trust in God’s outcome, love is always the outcome.  Any other outcome we put our trust in will only be temporary and leads to disappointment every time.

2.  Peel back the labels.  Just because we label or call ourselves Christians or believers doesn’t mean that is the fail safe for our relationship with God.  Labels aren’t our identity or our truth– our identity in Christ is.  We like to claim things over lives and believe we safely fall within this realm of ‘I’m a Christian’ so I’m safe, when in reality we hide behind the labels of false-images, status and accomplishments all the time.

Instead of hiding behind the labels, we need to stand in front of them and say ‘I’m broken and I need Jesus.’  So many of us (me included) want to stay safely protected behind these labels clinging to them like they’re the gospel.  When in reality, we’re clinging to what is comfortable in fear of being shamed, not accepted or condemned for who we really are.

Are we more concerned with our own comforts or God’s glory?

What are we really holding on to?

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.”  Jonah 2:8

3.  Love Anyway, Embrace the process.  Just because we don’t like our circumstances doesn’t mean we’re defeated or God doesn’t love us.  Any outcome where love is the choice gives power for change.  How do we do this?

When we choose to love knowing we will endure pain but God will use it for his greater good.  When we pray for our enemy, hearts and perspectives change.  When we accept the things we cannot change and surrender them to God, outcomes change.  When reside in what God has for us and accept his plans are good enough, we receive his everlasting grace.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Is God’s grace enough?  When I truly live under the umbrella of God’s truth and grace–Freedom becomes My Reality.  I can CONFIDENTLY say, ‘I’m Free, no chains or anchors here.”  In order to live under the banner of truth and live in the reality of it, we have to release any false pretenses, perceptions, images, identities, labels, disillusioned fears, anxieties, worries, doubts (that’s a lot to release), when we do WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES TO OUR FEARS and THE ENEMY LOSES ALL POWER OVER US.

The reality is what we’re praying for may never happen the way we want it.  Or maybe what we go through is part of God’s plan to prepare us what we’ve asked for.  We have to release the OUTCOME to God and say, “I’m OK with YOUR OUTCOME God, what YOU have for ME is ENOUGH.”

When we CHOOSE God’s OUTCOME and ALLOW GOD’S OUTCOME for our LIVES, we can trust God’s Love will ALWAYS be apart of the OUTCOME.  In God’s Plans, LOVE is ALWAYS the OUTCOME.

When we choose and accept God’s outcome, we are choosing a life of pain.  No one willingly signs up for this type of life.  We will have trials and heartaches that seem out of control and unbearable.  It is a life that requires complete surrender and dependence on God BUT will be the most eternally rewarding.

Where we receive God's love

Please rest on these nuggets of truth when you’re in situations of relentless turmoil and need to make more room for God’s love in your life.

God’s will, will never take you where His grace cannot protect you.

Every one of God’s plans will have his love in the outcome.

There is freedom and peace when we live under the banner of truth, when we are truthful and honest with ourselves.

We will no longer be slaves to fear when we accept God’s plans and His grace as enough.

We will always regret playing it safe by choosing comfort.  We will Never Regret pursing and following the Will of God.

God’s love ALWAYS Prevails.  

I pray and hope this is a safe place to leave your comments and start a conversation where no one has to fear being judged or condemned.

What is your number one struggle you cling to and haven’t released to God?

Do you trust God’s Outcome is enough for you?

Have you peeled back the labels to see what’s really underneath them?

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I would love to hear from you!  Leave Your Comments Below.   ​In Him,

In case you missed it here is last month’s post Why We Should Let Go of the Miracle

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You Have Arrived

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Congratulations!  You have officially arrived in 2019!  The New Year always makes me reflect.  No one had to do anything to arrive into the New Year it just came.  No one had to work for it or even ask directions how to get there.  We just woke up and it was here.

Getting directions in this day and age has come a long way.  When I was a kid, there weren’t navigation systems in cars, GPS on phones or even SIRI to tell you how to get where you needed to go.  There wasn’t even the internet to google directions.  We had to rely on the verbal directions of the person giving them either from a friend or a gas station attendant.  We had physical maps we looked at and mapped out our routes.  We had to write directions down with a pen and paper and trust in our own navigation skills and that directions were correct.

Nowadays we don’t have to rely on such antiquated methods of obtaining directions.  We have Google maps and SIRI to take us there.  But sometimes Google maps and SIRI don’t always know exactly how to get where you need to go.  When I type in the address for directions sure they can tell me the fastest route, if there is traffic and other routes to go to avoid it.  If I miss a turn GPS can redirect my route.  They can also tell me how much longer it will take to get there and when I arrive.

Have you ever plugged in the address of your desired location and GPS says you have arrived, yet you are still lost?

You don’t see the location.  You can’t quite figure out where the entrance is.  You’re yelling at your phone, I haven’t arrived!  I’m still not here!  Please get me there!  Can anyone relate?

These scenarios make me realize I put way too much trust in my phone getting me to where I need to go without checking if the directions are correct myself.  The other day my GPS took me to the right location, but guess what.  There was no way to access into the entrance because I was behind the building with no way to get in.

These times show me when I place the trust in myself or technology that might not always be right, I will always be lost.  I will always be seeking how to get in.  I will always be turning around circling and searching.

This may sound cliché, but when we follow Jesus, He knows the way and will always get us to where we need to go.

'Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' John 14:6Click To Tweet

We can trust when we plug in the address to where we want to go, we can trust Jesus knows the directions of how to get there!  He can tell us the best route, how long it will take us to get there and if there are any obstacles in the way.  And He will most definitely tell us when we have arrived.

Sometimes the directions He gives might take us on detours, may be a little bumpy, but know He knows best to get us to where we need to go safely.

Another cliché Bible verse that shouldn’t be overlooked is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

Trusting in God by allowing Him to lead the way, submitting to the way He desires to take you, makes the road a little bit straighter and more direct.  Sometimes we are the ones causing the obstacle and question God why am I not arriving to where I need to go?  Then God gently redirects us around the obstacles before us, rerouting us down an even better road even in our stubbornness and disobedience.

God blesses the broken roads.

Even when we mess up. God loves us, pursues us and gently redirects us and says, 'This way child. Follow Me, I know the Way.' Click To Tweet

We all have the same opportunity of starting over and being intentional in this new year.

I don’t know what your goals are this year, but a good goal to set is, follow God’s directions.  Let Him be the Navigator.  It’s not about our performance, how fast we get somewhere, it’s about our surrender.  God doesn’t care how perfect we are He cares about the condition of our hearts.

Maybe you haven’t arrived to where you want to be in life.  Or God hasn’t given you the directions yet.  Maybe we’re not plugging in the right address.  Maybe we are still trying to do it our own way.  Are you tired of driving around in circles, feeling like you will never arrive?  Maybe we should ask ourselves these hard questions and trust in the One who knows the way.  I promise when we do we will arrive at the exact time God desires.

What address are you plugging in?

Will you allow God to lead you down the best road ever?

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I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!  Happy New Year!

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What is One Thing Holding You Back From Your Biggest Breakthrough?

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Do you have that one thing that gets in the way of your biggest breakthrough?  Maybe it’s a quirk, an idiosyncrasy, a flaw that gets in your way? Maybe you struggle with handling money, time management, getting healthy or temptation.  Chances are, the one thing getting in the way is US.

My one thing that is my consistent stumbling is my organization and lies I’ve embraced along the way that I’m not good enough.  If I’m not careful, my disorganization and doubts of myself can be the biggest factor in my downfall.

Whatever our one thing is, they aren’t meant to keep us from our breakthrough they are the catalyst God uses for the breakthrough.   Our flaws and weaknesses can seem like we’re staring at a 90-foot wall, getting in the way of God’s abundant plan for us.  But really they are apart of God’s plan to reveal His greater glory.

Four men who desired a breakthrough more than anything were lepers waiting for their chance to live a life they never had.   

In 2 Kings, these four leper men lived outside of the entrance of the city gate. People with skin diseases were forbidden by law to reside within the community. They were considered outcasts. These four men spent their days begging for food. At the time there was a great famine and war going on—times were tough for everyone.

One day the men said to each other, “Why should we sit here waiting to die?”   “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway” 2 Kings 7:3-4.

The men recognized if they stayed where they were, there was a 100% chance they would starve and die. If they went out to the battlefield and surrendered to the army, they had a small chance of survival. Imagine this scene. These four lepers probably spent the greater part of their lives staring at the gate that separated them from the city begging for food—it’s the only life they have ever known. Now they are about to embark on an unknown path without fully knowing if they will live or die.

“So at twilight, they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching.  So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.” (2 Kings 7:5-6-7).

I can’t imagine the courage it took the men to go past the gates that was forbidden to enter so they could have a fighting chance for their future. The odds were already against these four men, but God had worked everything out before they even got to the battle lines, they only needed to take one step of faith. God caused the army to hear an opposing army approaching, which caused them to flee!

“When the men with leprosy arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace” (2 Kings 7:8-9).

How surprised were these men when they found no one there and abundant riches waiting for them? They went from starving to trusting in God, to receive the most lavish gifts ever in their lives. How would you respond? Would you share your newly found riches with someone else or keep them to yourself?

The response of the lepers astounds me. They lived in squalor conditions most of their lives. Their immediate response was to share with the very people who considered them outcasts!

“So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn’t a single person around!” Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace” (2 Kings 7:10-11).

How great is our God?

Leprosy was the one thing that kept these men from living in community with others, but God used it in the end, to bring them together. No one else had the courage to go towards the battle except these men.

What is one thing that holds you back from your breakthrough?

Maybe it’s fear. shame. pride. doubt. worry. anxiety. You’re one thing may be the very thing keeping you from the abundant freedom God desires for you.

I am encouraged by the courage of these four men. They were willing to abandon everything that was comfortable to them and go towards where God was asking them to go—towards the battle. When they did, God had already gone ahead of them and worked everything out. When they let go of the one thing that was holding them back, God filled them abundantly more than what they could ever ask for or imagine.

Are you ready for a breakthrough?  You Are………

We are only one prayer from our next breakthrough.  If you desire a breakthrough start praying, ask God to reveal what is getting in the way and give it to Him.  I promise when you say yes to God and surrender our stumbling block to him, He will be there waiting to fill you abundantly more than whatever you could ask for or imagine. God is greater.

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Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

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Have you ever asked yourself the question, “If God is good, then why does He allow Bad things to Happen in this world?”

This is a very loaded question and will take more than this one blog post to answer.  The truth is we live in a broken world, that dates back to Adam and Eve the very day they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree.  But God is a loving God who created us and desires a relationship with us.   Yes, looking at our world we live in, it is corrupt, there is evil and devastation.  However, God allowed us to have free will and make our own choices.  God doesn’t make us do bad things, we choose to.

God’s love is a holy love. One that forgives and selflessly gives eternally forevermore. One that never leaves us.   There is never an end or amount of God’s love. But sometimes God’s love doesn’t feel very loving does it? Let me explain.

Six years ago my husband and I endured the biggest tragedy parents could ever go through—the loss of our son. He was born with an undetected kidney disease that was incompatible with life. He lived only two short weeks on this earth before he went to heaven. When he died I couldn’t believe God didn’t heal our son.

We prayed so hard for him to be healed, didn’t God hear our prayers? If God loved us then why didn’t He heal our son?

As time went by, I went before God with this very question and His response was “I did heal your son just not in the way you asked me to. He indeed is healed and living a life that is free from disease, pain or sorrow, he is no longer suffering.” Wow, God was right, He answered every single one of my prayers just not in the way I imagined.

Our life may have been filled with grief and pain, but there is not pain that God doesn’t already know.

God’s love is a sacrifice.

Our tragedy made me see more than ever, God’s love is a sacrifice, one that He sacrificed for us through his one and only son. The pain of our son’s death gave me a glimpse of the pain God went through when Jesus died. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Who am I to say I want this part of God’s love but not that part?  At the cross Jesus didn’t surrender half of His life for us, He surrendered all of it.  His love isn’t something I get to pick and choose the parts I do or don’t like. To know God’s holy love, to know the suffering of Jesus, is to know all parts of God’s love.

At the Cross, I lay it at your feet.

Every sacrifice requires 100% surrender. Our surrender is an offering to God.  The Hebrew word for offering (hiqrib) means “to present, bring near, offer.” How perfect is God’s plan, that He made an altar (the cross) for our burdens to be laid down as an offering, to bring us closer to Him?  The life we once lived before our son, died along with him.  The only chance we had to have a life filled with joy again, was to lay down our pain and grief at the feet of Jesus and allow God to crucify them at the cross.

I am crucified with thee.

At the cross, our surrendered burdens are crucified.  They were never meant to be carried beyond the cross.  Every act of obedience, every act of faith no matter how big or small, becomes a living sacrifice to God.   Our surrender allows God to become more in our lives, not our burdens (John 3:30).

God knows what it takes to produce the greatest blessings ever in Him, not anything this world could ever provide for us.   He knows what we need to rid ourselves of anything getting in the way of Him.  Through fasting, prayer, walking away from worldly riches, making sacrifices for God’s greater good, our love becomes a living sacrifice. We become an example to the world what makes us rich and loved isn’t by what we put in our wallets, closets or garages but what God puts into our hearts.

“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). Our sacrifices allow God to produce His greater work with in us.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

This is where I die.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Every resurrection needs a surrendered offering, a sacrifice/death, and a burial.  This is how God’s holy love works to resurrect our circumstances and make us new in Him!  God’s holy love is the ultimate love.  He holds nothing back.

God’s holy love doesn’t mean we will be without tragedy or heartache.

At the cross lives a holy love, one that suffers, knows our pain and carries our burdens.

At the cross is where Jesus meets us in our pain and shows there is nothing we go through that he hasn’t already been through.   No one knows our pain and suffering better than Jesus. His love is the ultimate sacrifice.

There will always be another storm in our life but know we can always trust in God’s promises, His goodness, and love.  When our feelings get the best of us here are some great reminders.

In God’s love, we can find freedom from our burdens by resting in the truths of God’s love.

God’s love is always good and pure.
God’s love is always faithful.
God’s love is eternal and never runs out.
God’s love is perfect and always prevails.
God’s love is a relationship.
God’s love is where we can find rest.
God’s love is a sacrifice and is forgiving.
God’s love comforts us.
God’s love, loves unconditionally.
God’s love is extravagant and abundant.
God’s love paid our debt for sin.
God’s love gives selflessly.
God’s love never fails and conquers all.
God’s love heals, restores and renews.
Nothing is bigger or greater than God’s love.

Have you experienced and accepted God’s holy love?

How has God’s holy love restored and renewed you?

Jesus is my healer.  His holy love makes us complete!  I pray God’s holy love will abundantly fill our hearts and homes this week.  You are loved!

Did you enjoy this blogpost? Please share with others! Want more encouraging messages sent right to your inbox? Subscribe to my blog and receive a weekly Monday Message or like my Author Facebook page to catch the latest posts.  Have a blessed week!

I would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below!

The definition of the Hebrew word for offering was obtained from www.biblestudytools.com

A modified version of this post was first published on www.akchristianwomensministry.com.

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