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Losing Control

Short post. True confessions time… Let’s talk about losing control…

I’m normally even-tempered. I seldom get angry or lash out.

Today I did BOTH. I was angry and lashed out.

My reaction surprised me. I didn’t see it coming.

Afterwards, I was asking myself: WHERE did that come from?

There have been a series of events. And apparently, this thing today was the “straw that broke the camels back”.

In itself, it was a minor issue, but it came from a person that has routinely been rude and unkind to me personally. And, it hurts!

Up until today, I have responded with God’s grace and just let it roll off my back.  “I will take no offense” is a daily “mantra” for me. It is so freeing to CHOOSE to take no offense. However… this time, I forgot to CHOOSE…

I’m just sharing this because I want you to know that I absolutely know I am still a work in progress, just like you. I am not happy with myself how I reacted. I know God loves me anyway, but I know it also made Him sad, too.

Normally, I can praise the Lord, laugh and move on. Today, I did NOT! Today, I blew up at that person! I took offense!

And then I stomped away like a toddler…with her and her friend yelling at me, saying she was just kidding. I had to walk past them again a few minutes later, and she and her friend grabbed my arms, to try to make me stand there and listen to them. I felt angry and I felt trapped! I felt bullied.

Have you ever felt that way?

I can also report that we all three ended up having a calm discussion about what happened. It will never be great, because I have never felt safe with either of them.

I will always have my guard up. AND I now know that they have the ability to “trip my trigger”. So, I know now to be alert and choose to be calm. I should have cried out to “Jesus!” But I tried to handle it on my own and I failed miserably! (I think I need to watch the movie “War Room” again. I want to be more like Miss Clara.)

When I got back to my apartment, I talked on the phone with a dear friend who knows me and loves me even when I act like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I don’t think she has ever seen me that way, because it seldom happens, but she listened. We laughed. She suggested a cup of chamomile tea. I’m so grateful she was there for me! I needed a friend right then. Jesus with skin on.

BUT…it still hurts.

Aren’t we glad we have a God who covers our sins with His Blood?
Aren’t we glad that He loves us even when we mess up?
Aren’t we glad He will make up for our lack? We just have to ask Him!

“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens: Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”

Psalm 36:5

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”

1 John 3:1

“Therefore, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:6-7

Thanks for your prayers. You can see that I desperately need you holding me up in prayer. This world HURTS sometimes. But God is bigger than all our hurts.

Do you need encouragement in your walk with God?

I offer one-on-one coaching and would love to come alongside you to help you become the woman God created you to be.

Let's Connect!
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


Finding Perspective in Times of Testing

Woman with son on beach

Is your life a mess? Are you going through a rough patch? Do you wish things were different? Do you wish YOU were different? Do you want to be a better person? In this post, we’re going to cover finding perspective in times of testing.

I have to remind myself daily that my basic calling and focus is to pursue an authentic relationship with Jesus. Key word: Pursue! Yup! Deliberately pursuing Him! Not to be better, but to choose to be with Him!

We all have difficult seasons of our lives

Times of testing. Sometimes our perspective gets a bit skewed. Maybe you have questioned if God even exists. Maybe thinking: If God is good, why do bad things happen to good people?

All that sounds so reasonable in our humanness. However, God is the only One who is truly “good”. And He calls us to a higher ground. He says, “Trust Me.” We don’t have to feel it, especially at first. But it has to be a conscious choice. We can’t wait for the feeling to come. It has to be a moment by moment and daily choice to trust Him no matter what! Why? Because He is good. All the time. In good times and bad, God is ALWAYS good! Do we understand why things happen? Not usually, but we can trust that He has purpose in all that happens. Beyond anything earthly.

Jesus came to restore us to relationship with God.

He experienced all the emotions we experience. AND…He feels your hurt. He is not a distant deity. He is a very personal God. When you hurt, He hurts. He chases after you until you find Him. And then He draws you into relationship with Him. It is your choice how deep you want that to be.

Finding perspective

When someone hurts you, betrays you, or speaks lies against you, what do you do? I remember when I first found out my husband had been unfaithful through our entire 20-plus years of marriage. We were on the mission field when I found out. Talk about feeling “lower than a snake’s belly” as my dad would say. We were in California. I ran outside alone, walking and walking, and crying out to God. The mountains loomed in the distance and a verse I didn’t even realize I knew, came to my mind: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, now and forevermore.” (Psalm 125:2) I just kept saying that verse over and over until I believed it. I didn’t understand, but God was assuring me that He was with me and He would help me through the, “Now what?”

Related Post: Not for One Second

That was a tough one to work through.

Everyone has to seek God’s wisdom and direction after a betrayal like that. It is not easy. It hurts to the very core of your being. But God walked that lonely painful road with me. Our Savior went through some rough relational problems while here on planet earth, so I knew He understood. And I knew He was good. The situation was bad, but God was/is good.

What about you?

Do you remember a book about: Are you a FAN or a FOLLOWER? Isn’t that a powerful question? We all know what fans are. They get together with other fans and scream and yell and love it when their team wins. But God expects MORE than that. He wants us to follow after Him, even whether we are winning or losing! God’s not about winning. He is about BEING! He expects us to be fully committed to Him no matter what happens. Let’s commit to being a FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER of JESUS. Putting our hand to plow and not looking back. (When you look back, you plow a crooked row.)

“Come and see what God has done, His awesome deeds for mankind…”

Psalm 66:5

“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

The Song Trust and Obey

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away. Not a doubt or a fear, not a sign or a tear, can abide while we trust and obey. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share. But our toil He doth richly repay. Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross but is blessed if we trust and obey.

The book of Psalms

It is comforting to know throughout the Psalms, that others have walked in shoes similar to whatever we ourselves experience. Pain and joy, doubt and confidence, defeat and victory, hatred and love, confusion and clarity. No matter what you are feeling, you will find comfort in the Psalms. Praise will always lift you out of hum drum and into a joy-filled relationship with the Lord of Lords. Time spent in the Psalms daily will not disappoint.

Here’s a few suggestions to get you started:

“My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me”. And my heart responds, ‘LORD, I am coming.’”
…Even if my father and mother abandon me the LORD will hold me close”

Psalm 27:8, 10

“The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses…with peace.”

Psalm 29:11

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

Psalm 9:1-2

Notice the CHOICE. The “I WILL”. The CHOICE to praise. The CHOICE to walk in relationship. The CHOICE to take the time away from the world, and into the Presence of the very One Who created you. Father knows best. He adores. Be sure to give Him lots of opportunity for you to experientially know that.
David Jeremiah: By the Word of God, we are taught, challenged, corrected, and trained, so that we “may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (I Timothy 3:16-17)

My friend, Dawn used to say, “I know it in my KNOW-ER.” Perfect!

Until next time…

Do you need encouragement in your walk with God?

I offer one-on-one coaching and would love to come alongside you to help you become the woman God created you to be.

Let's Connect!
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com

Filed under: Christian Life Coaching,Freedom,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

Confessions of a Nosy Neighbor

Woman looking in mirror
Have you ever gotten frustrated at someone and only much later realized that you, too, were guilty of the same thing that frustrated you about them? It’s time for confessions from a nosy neighbor because it happens to me far more than I want to admit to you.

Confessions of a nosy neighbor

My neighbors were moving out. They were good neighbors. I hated to see them go. And I felt a bit protective of them somehow. They didn’t want to leave either. I was grieving the loss. So, when I went downstairs to get my mail, I noticed a guy from the apartment building watching movers put things in the moving van. The van was nearly up against the building, right outside the window. I remember thinking he was just plain nosy. He was so close, that his nose was almost up against the window. I felt a bit angry at him.

So, I said, “What are you doing?” And he told me a lie. He said that he’d been watching the weather or something like that. From his perspective, he could only see the van contents. I was frustrated at what he was doing and that he had lied to me.

When I arrived back in my apartment, I walked over to look out the 3rd floor window and watched as the movers put more stuff in the moving van. I stood there watching for a few minutes. Then…

God spoke to my heart

In my spirit, I heard God say, “What are you doing?”

BUSTED!

God allowed me to see MYSELF…

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT)

I’d been doing the exact same thing as the guy I had been frustrated with.

So, I am a nosy neighbor and I was stunned to realize that I had become what I had hated. So, I asked God to forgive me. I confessed. And then I praised the Lord God and thanked Him that He has not given up on me. I still sin every day! UGH! AND…He still speaks to my heart and still shows me my sin. He still is letting me clearly see my hypocrisy. My judgmental spirit. It hurts to see myself as I truly am. But it is also very cool that God loves me too much to let me stay that way.

”For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in the mirror.”

James 1:23 (NLT)

It might seem like a small thing. But it’s not. It is huge. It is the little things that mount up together to try to destroy our close relationship with the Lord. Keeping “short accounts” with Him is wise. And free-ing.

How about you? Do you ever see yourself doing what you hate in others?

Until next time…thank you for all you do!

Do you need encouragement in your walk with God?

I offer one-on-one coaching and would love to come alongside you to help you become the woman God created you to be.

Let's Connect!
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


Bake Your Enemy a Cake

Making a cake

Take no Offense

It is a challenging lesson to master. When something hurtful happens to me or a friend, I sometimes laugh and say “life would be great if it weren’t for the people in it.” Of course, that is silly, but it gets me OFF the MAD train and brings my sense of humor back. What I am meaning is that people interactions are where the rubber meets the road and shows us truths about ourselves. People are like a mirror that James speaks about. Reactions from people show us clearly how closely we are in reflecting Christ in our interactions.

God has been teaching me the phrase: “I will take no offense,” To CHOOSE to NOT take offense is so freeing.

When someone is rude, or unkind or negligent to show love or kindness, I can just re-focus my feelings by saying “I will take no offense”.

War Room Movie

I am reminded of the War Room movie and the phrase from Elizabeth, as she talks with God: “I’m not their judge. YOU are, God. But please…if they are doing something wrong/sinful, don’t let them get away with it.”

It’s all a way to remind me that GOD is GOD and I am NOT. It actually causes me to relax and to keep my joy! It keeps me from taking up an offense. It keeps me from getting angry and blaming others for my angry attitude. Anger is exhausting. Plus…it accomplishes nothing but giving me a headache or a stomach-ache.

Derek Prince

taught on the reality that we must go the FIRST mile of doing what is necessary and required, before we can go the SECOND mile of doing more than is required.

Bake Your Enemy a Cake

Many years ago, at the Christian Brotherhood Fellowship, Buddy Medlock taught on forgiveness and turning the other cheek. On going the extra mile.

Buddy did not function well in the kitchen, but when he and another person had a disagreement, he would go to apologize, but he would first do something that was difficult for him.

Forgive and Bless Your Enemy

He would bake a cake. And he would take that cake along with his apology. The apology was the FIRST MILE. The cake was the SECOND MILE.

(Love is…)
“Never rude; love is never selfish, never quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs.”

1 Corinthians 13:5 (Revised English Bible)

We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those who do not work. Encourage the people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people. Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:14–18 (NCV)

Loaves And Fishes Coaching

How long has it been since you have visited the website? By the way, I have rewritten the home page. I’d love to know what you think. Does it answer your questions about what I do and why I do it?

Discover Living From Your Strengths (LFYS) Life Changing Mentor Coaching.

Do you have questions? Through the Ministry Insights assessment, you will Discover your strengths. And then, through mentor coaching, you will learn how to daily Embrace and Live out your strengths. You can contact me by clicking on the blue button beside the signature line. Or leave me a private message on Facebook.

Leading from Your Strengths

Let's Connect!
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


How Do I Get What I Want from God?

Woman in coat walking down street
The book of James says that if I resist the devil he will flee from me. Well, that sounds easy. But IS it?

It must be a conscious choice to not only receive the salvation of our Jesus, but to be certain He is on the Throne as Lord of our lives.

There are immediate and serious challenges in our world today. Challenges we cannot ignore.  We are now and have always been in a war for our mind. And the mind is the devil’s playground. He loves to manipulate Scripture to get us to stray away from God. Just think about his manipulations of Scripture with Eve in the garden and even with Jesus in the wilderness. The first step to get the devil to flee, is to submit to God. So, the “formula” is this:

  1. Submit to God (turn toward God) SO THAT you will have the power, the strength, to…
  2. Resist the devil (turn away from the devil) SO THAT…
  3. He will flee from you.

It sounds simple and is truly is. But this is also very serious business. It takes daily deliberate thought and action. And even moment by moment.

The devil wants you to fail. Remember, he wanted Eve to fail and he wanted Jesus to fail. However, the Lord God wants you to succeed and to have that inner peace and joy as you walk in the midst of His will. Our relationship with God must be our priority.

So, how DO you get what you want from God?

ASK

In the beginning verses of chapter 4 of James, the Word is clear that when we don’t get what we ask for it could be because we don’t actually ASK God. We don’t take the time to talk it over with Him. To seek His will. To ASK. Crazy, but I know I am guilty of that. I can’t believe I still, after all these years of walking with Him, I actually forget to do the actual ASK. Lazy? Preoccupied? Pride? (We think we can do it ourselves.) Is that why God tells us in James 4 verse 6 that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble? When we find ourselves coming up short with anger, irritability, confusion, could it be we just forgot to ASK God for His help and His will? It never ceases to amaze me that I can actually forget to ask! What about you?

Wrong motives

And sometimes, we don’t get what we ask because, when we DO ask, we ask with wrong motives. Selfish motives. Only to satisfy our own desires. We have our SELF on the throne. Wanting what will make others’ lives or our own lives easier. I am actually guilty of that as well. But God has a bigger plan. I am so glad He is patient to teach us the same lessons over and over again. Isn’t He amazing? He wants us to ask Him what HIS plan is for our friends, family, co-workers, our town, our state, our country and our world. Our big assignment is to train ourselves to remember to always ask God for HIS heart for all the things I mentioned…and MORE!

We are merely instruments through whom God works. It is not about YOU. It is not about ME. It is about GOD and HIS plans.

Now, let’s go back to specific points

He tells us we must first humble ourselves before God. What does that look like to you? Humbling yourself. That’s really what we have been talking about throughout this whole post. Choosing a Godly mindset. Asking for the unselfish Mind of Christ. Humbling ourselves. Getting ourselves off the throne. Seeking God before moving forward. Before speaking. To take control of our thoughts. Turn them toward God. And then we can walk in the light of the following verses…

Let’s look at the surrounding verses in chapter 4 of James in a version you might not be familiar with. (The J B Phillips New Testament version.) I’m sure like me, you’ve also realized that when we look at the same verse in different versions, it gives us fresh insights. It expands the meaning for us.

But resist the devil and you’ll find he’ll run away from you.
Come close to God and he will come close to you.
You are sinners: get your hands clean again.
Your loyalty is divided: get your hearts made true once more.
You should be deeply sorry, you should be grieved, You should even be in tears.
Your laughter will have to become mourning, your high spirits will have to become dejection
You must humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord before he will lift you up.”

James 4: 7-10 (Phillips)

Pretty stiff conditions, huh? But all for our good. All for our peace. Our joy. God created you and me, and He knows how to bring out the best in us. He made the rules of the “game” of life. Of Eternal Life with Him! And if we want close fellowship with Him, we will stop trying to make our own rules for this earth-bound life. So that things will go well with you and me.  And THAT, my friends is how we get what we want from God. Because we come to realize that what we want is actually what He wants.

Just like if you play a game of Monopoly. You can play by the rules—OR–you can decide you are going to make up your own rules. I am pretty sure making up your own rules will NOT go well with you in Monopoly. And, the “game” of life eternal has much more serious consequences than a game of Monopoly.

Choose wisely, remembering God adores you. He even sent His son to die for you. Let’s talk…

My Father: Experiencing God's Love A-Z

Pamela Taylor invites you to join her in this interactive acrostic devotional journal designed to draw you into the extremely personal and abundant love God has waiting for you. Experience the "Just ask..." of His love for you!

My Father: Experiencing God's Love from A-Z by Pamela A. Taylor

Let's Connect!Until next time,
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


September 11: Perhaps Today…

Man removing shoes

The date September 11 (9/11) is on the mind of many this month. The 20th anniversary brings memories flooding back. Most who were alive during that day, can even tell you where they were when they first realized what was happening.

This will be short today.

When you read the title above. what did you think? My thoughts are:

  • Don’t get too comfortable here
  • This world is not your home
  • It’s a “transitional” place
  • Jesus is coming again
  • PERHAPS TODAY

How then shall you live?

Are you fearful? Are you hopeful? Do you need someone to talk to–to process what is rumbling around in your head? You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Christian Life Coaching is a pathway to grow in your faith and relationships.  But, first things first…

“Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus is the Way…

Jesus is the ONLY Way, the ONLY Truth, the ONLY way to ETERNAL LIFE. How are you with Him? Are you in a vital relationship with Jesus? If not, why not?

Don’t miss out. Don’t wait another day to develop a deep, abiding vital relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Let’s talk…

My Father For Children: Praising God Through the Alphabet

With an easy-to-follow, alphabetical format, your child will discover how God cares for them in this new book from Pamela A. Taylor.

This interactive acrostic devotional journal is designed to draw your child into the extremely personal and abundant love of Jesus.

My Father For Children: Praising God Through the Alphabet

Let's Connect!Until next time,
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


Distractions vs Focus

Distractions vs FocusDistractions vs Focus

Life is full of distractions and fears, but if we fix our minds—our thoughts—on Jesus, life is so much more rewarding and do-able.

Turn our eyes on Him

There’s a song that speaks of turning our eyes and looking intently at Jesus, rather than focusing on the distractions that are causing fear. To focus on Him, rather than the things of earth that will grow strangely dim because of focusing on His Glory and Grace.

Encounter with God devotional

”Jesus is better than who or what might compete with Him. Besides Him, all else pales into insignificance. It is He who will offer a secure hope.” Nothing or no one else can promise that. Only Jesus.

Worship Leader, Sean Feucht

When speaking about the Lord’s Prayer, he said, “Let’s do HERE what they are doing in Heaven. WORSHIP!”

There was something about the WAY Sean said that, that it really impacted me. WORSHIP is key. And it so easy to neglect in practice.

He also said, “I am as filthy rags. Without Him, I don’t DESERVE anything. HIS BLOOD makes us worthy.”

Nothing about ourselves makes us worthy

Knowing what we know, how can we do anything but confidently follow Him with devotion? Do you ever find yourself acting more like a human DOING rather than a human BEING? The pressures of life makes it hard to focus on Jesus. He just wants to BE WITH you and me. So…

What if we set an alarm for times during the day to purpose to think about Him? To draw us away from distractions. Such a small thing, yet it can bring amazing changes in the way we view life. He is worthy!

This is how we fight our battles

Remember the story of the 12 spies? They went to spy out the land and 10 of them came back with a bad report. I don’t want to be like those 10 grumbling, fearful naysayers. I want to be like the 2 who saw Victorious God as BIGGER than any giants or problems ahead. For the ten, life was about “me and the scary problems”..But for the other two, their life was about “me and the problems PLUS GOD!” The two welcomed God into the midst of the problems and shared a good report–that God is BIGGER than anything they might fear.

”For my determined purpose is that I may know Him That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person, more strongly and more clearly!”

Philippians 3:10 (Amplified)

Problems begin to fade when we focus on Him. He will never leave us alone. Never ever!

God Loves Aardvarks: And God Loves Me

"Thank you, God, that you love all the animals and bugs. You love funny looking aardvarks and you love me."

Thankfulness through the alphabet. That's what this fun book will teach the kids in your life.

God Loves Aardvarks and God Loves Me

This was Distractions vs Focus,
Let's Connect!Until next time,
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com


The Secret

Door into a Garden

I have been set aside these last few weeks. I thought I’d share with you a bit of what God has been impressing on me.

Elisabeth Elliot

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

Change for change sake is not the answer. The secret is believing. Trusting that God means what He says. He is with us and within us always.

John Piper

”God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

God created our hearts with a thirst that can only be satisfied in Him.

Psalm 63:1

“O God, Thou art my God. I shall seek Thee earnestly. My soul thirsts for Thee. My flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

The Psalmist reminds us that our entire being literally longs for God and no matter what else we seek to fill that void, that God-sized vacuum in each of us can only be satisfied when He is truly our first love. When we earnestly seek Him above all others.

Hudson Taylor describes “The Secret”

“It is the exchanged life…. No longer I…” No thought of imitating Christ. Rather, “It was in the blessed reality: ‘Christ liveth in me’…

“No longer bondage, but liberty. Instead of failure, quiet victories within; instead of fear and weakness, a restful sense of sufficiency in ANOTHER.

Encouragement

I Thessalonians 5:24

“Faithful is He who calls you and He also will bring it to pass.” He promises! He keeps His promises.

1 Thessalonians 5:28

”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

Until next time…

God Loves Aardvarks: And God Loves Me

"Thank you, God, that you love all the animals and bugs. You love funny looking aardvarks and you love me."

Thankfulness through the alphabet. That's what this fun book will teach the kids in your life.

God Loves Aardvarks and God Loves Me

Let's Connect!Until next time,
Awaiting His shout,
pam_signature-c49a6c

Christian Life Coach
Leading from Your Strengths Mentor
www.loavesandfishescoaching.com