Leading from Your Strengths Certified
Leading from Your Strength Certified

If God Says No

A Mini-Minute with Pam

Tiles Spelling the Word "No"
What do you do when God says NO to your dream?

  • When that happily ever with the man of your dreams turns into alcohol addiction and adultery
  • When that promise: train up your children in the way they should go turns into: they lost your address
  • When that plan your daughter would wear your wedding gown turns into “I’ll wear the MIL veil instead”
  • When that acreage you’d all worked so hard on has to be sold for expenses
  • When that vision to provide a place for unwed moms turns into just a dream with no feet
  • When that joy of being a missionary turns into “he can stay” but “you have to leave”
  • When that dream to write and publish books is realized but you are still waiting to be “discovered”
  • When that dream biz to be like Barnabas in the Bible, an encourager of women starts out big but turns into a whimper

You DON’T sulk. You don’t “lose your religion”. You don’t let your heart get hard. You pray like crazy. you Keep Looking Up because God Is Big!

You choose to trust your Lord. You choose contentment because you KNOW He has you in the palm of His hand, so all is well.

“Sometimes we just can’t see what God is doing.
Trust Him to the end; He’s working in all our wayward situations fulfilling His promises.”

Anchor devo

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”

Proverbs 3:5

When David lost his dream to build the temple for His Lord, God said No. So…

We do what he did…We look for ways to show God we love Him, no matter what…

  • You get up, dust yourself off, and literally, go for a walk.
  • You pray God keeps you from a complaining spirit.
  • You seek God—on your face—asking for direction.
  • You search the Bible to get to know Him better.
  • You count your blessings. Name them one-by-one.
  • You sing His praises! You pray the Scriptures.
  • You cry out for help in Jesus’ Name.
  • You choose contentment. In Jesus’ Name.
  • You look for ways to bless and encourage others.
  • You ask Him to show you the way forward. You ask the “NOW what, God?” question.

Onward Christian soldiers!

Glory, Glory! To God be the Glory!

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: Mini-Minute with Pam,Strengths Mentor Coach — Tags: , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

If All I Had…

A Mini-Minute with Pam

Lıfe preserver and book
My Omaha pastor said, “If all you have is your salvation, that should be enough.”

That was more than 40 years ago and I still ponder that statement. It pops into my mind often. Powerful.

Can we just stop our world for a minute and honestly think about that one sentence. Can we actually live our daily lives like that? Is Jesus truly enough? Or do you need more?

Do we walk in a state of contentment that God is our Father and that you and I are continually in His care?

Do you live you life with your eye on eternity with your Lord?

Or do you live in survival mode: Just for today? Is busy-ness your idol? Or is Jesus your “Hero”? Is He enough? If not, why not? And what can we do to change our mindset?

In Psalm 56:12b, 13 “I will render praises to You, for You have delivered my soul from death.”

Psalm 56:11 “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

God bless you bunches!

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,Mini-Minute with Pam,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

I Was Blind But Now I See

Blind man walking
I was blind but now I see!

Do you ever flirt with temptation?

I know there are times that I do.

How close do we allow ourselves to get to temptation?

In the Bible story, the man was born blind. What if he had been tempted to believe he would always be blindly stumbling around?

Yet, he took a chance. He believed. He trusted. He obeyed.

After applying mud to the man’s eyes, Jesus told him to go wash it off.

The man obeyed and was given the gift of sight. Just imagine his joy! He could now physically see the One who healed him. Jesus.

Then along came the Debbie-downers.

People were skeptical. They asked the man if his Healer was a sinner? The man realized that was not his “call” to say.

But he did absolutely know one thing. And he proclaimed the truth of it: “I do not know whether He is a sinner and wicked or not…

“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25, NIV)

What About You?

Does God ever ask you to do crazy things like He did that man?

Have you wondered what you would do under similar circumstances?

Sight: (conquering blindness) comes through using the tools of daily prayer and daily Bible reading. Actually choosing to spend time with Jesus. Those are our “weapons” to fight the good fight, as scripture calls it. The good fight. The inevitable daily temptations.  They are tools for those times when the Debbie downers show up. When your faith is tested.

It can’t be just rushing through a verse or two, but prayerfully reading whole chapters at a time. Be radical. Develop a deep and lasting friendship with the Healer. Saturate yourself!

2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight. The blind man trusted. He obeyed the crazy thing with the mud and the washing it off part. The blind man didn’t question. He took a chance. He believed. He trusted. He obeyed. He walked by faith and received his sight.

That can be your story,  too. You can say, “I was blind but now I see!”

We build our faith and trust in the Lord through daily Prayer and Bible Reading. DAILY. It’s actually like food for the Soul. Feeding your soul daily is just as important as feeding your body daily. No shortcuts or we become emaciated and weak. Kinda blind in a sense. We don’t see temptation and sin sneak up on us. Because we have not nourished our soul that day.

Obedience: is stepping forward toward holiness. (The opposite is falling backward toward temptation.) It’s consciously realizing when we are being a slave to the tyranny of the urgent. It’s choosing to do what makes Father God happy as our priority.

Related Post: Learning to Lean

A lesson from computers

The computer term GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) fits well here. What we get back is indicative of the amount of time and care we take with the input. AND being attentive and careful WHAT what we actually have put in.

So, to prevent flirting with temptation–our thoughts, and what we put into our minds through our eyes, our ears, and our actions, must be diligently and carefully guarded to prevent viruses (temptation) from causing a CRASH.

Onward, dear friends. Let’s choose to walk by faith together. To God be the Glory.

I’d love to hear from you. I’d love the opportunity to walk alongside you as your Christian Coach. Wonder how coaching works? Hit the connect button and set up a time for a complementary call. Life is tough and we all need a place where we can be real and safe. Where we can work out our struggles with our very own cheerleader. Encouraging us on to victory in our walk with the Lord. Someone who understands our personality and believes in us.

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,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

Free Coaching Tip: CHOOSE to Celebrate EVERYTHING!

Man celebratingFree Coaching Tip!

Celebrate Everything

We can all find plenty to grumble about. We can all choose to find fault in anyone. We can all feel like God must have made a mistake. However, that is NOT the way of the Cross. That is NOT the way to peace and joy. Rather…One of the most freeing things that brings peace and joy…is to choose to celebrate everything. That’s my free coaching tip, today.

I believe it was Elisabeth Elliot who is famous for quoting: In acceptance lies peace. She was an advocate for CHOOSING to see God’s LOVING hands in EVERYTHING.

Related Post: Drudge, Drudge

It is a choice

Life is hard, but God is good. That is not negotiable. Our default—especially during hard times—is to think that if horrible things happen, that God is mean. We naturally have questions, but the Truth is that all the time, God is good, even when life seems bad right now. Believe that He understands your questions, so…even in the midst of badness: Choose to celebrate His goodness!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

The beauty around you is not an accident

God is the Creator of the beauty all around you. As I write this, we are in the spring of the year. And, if we take the time to notice, we see vibrant colors in the sky, in the trees and plants everywhere. Beauty. God is the creator of beauty and color and fragrances. Choose to celebrate His creativity!

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Psalm 150:1

At mealtime and snack time

Stopping to celebrate the abundance of choices we have for sustenance is powerful and freeing. It makes God happy when we remember with gratitude that it all comes from Him. He is your Provider. Your Shepherd. Choose to celebrate His generosity and care for you!

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

I Corinthians 10:31

In every emotion you experience

He is there with you, experiencing it with you. In sad times and happy times. In times of grief or celebration, you are never alone. Choose to celebrate His presence!

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance…

Ecclesiastes 3:4

When you are in your bed, preparing for sleep

No need to lie awake, worrying. God takes the night watches. He never sleeps or slumbers. He is wide awake, even as you sleep. Choose to celebrate His rest!

”Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds.”

Psalm 149:5 (KJV)

You are not an accident. You are here by God’s design.

Before you were even born, your Creator designed you just the way He needed you to be in order to do what He has called you to do. He adores your crooked nose, or your space between your two front teeth, or your short neck, or your bushy eyebrows. You are unique and He thinks you are beautiful. Choose to celebrate His wisdom in creating you to look the way you do!

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

He never stops thinking about you

Isn’t that powerful? The Creator of the entire universe, never ever stops thinking about you. You’ve heard the saying “If God had a refrigerator, YOUR picture would be on it!” Choose to celebrate His pure unconditional love for you!

“How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”

Psalm 139:17

The popular counsel to “Act as if” until you “Get it” works. To act as though whatever is going on in your life has first passed through the loving hands of the Lord God. Because that is true. Nothing touches you without first passing through the nail-scarred hands of our Lord. He goes through it all WITH you. Your pain is His pain. Your joy is His joy. Choose to celebrate that!

”These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Matthew 22:1

It is also true that there is only one way to become like Jesus. We become like Him through the fellowship of His suffering. Yes – sometimes when the hurt is deep and wide – we have to choose to purposefully search for His LOVING hand in a circumstance, but when we take the time to pray and search, we will find Him THERE – in the midst of the circumstance – in all His GLORY! Activate your search daily. THAT is where we find joy. And that is something to CELEBRATE!

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,Strengths Mentor Coach — Tags: , , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

Do You Have Test Anxiety?


Have you ever suffered from test anxiety?
There are all kinds of tests. Tests we had for each subject in school. Standardized tests. It is getting to be that time of year for school kids of all ages to take final exams.

There are Real Estate license tests. College entrance tests. Drivers tests. Medical tests. Breathalyzer tests. Etc. Test anxiety is a very real thing for many people. It’s all-consuming and immobilizing. For those who suffer from it, it sucks them down into a black hole of fear and despair.

Feeling turmoil and stress
This season of life on this planet can feel like that sometimes. It seems everything everywhere is in turmoil. Just living your daily life with people, can bring challenges and trials and can feel much like test anxiety. And in a sense, that is exactly what is happening. God gives us “opportunities” to trust Him. God tests us so WE can see how much more we need to grow, judged by our response to the testing. I am thinking of Job in the Bible. He questioned his “friends” and he even wished he had never been born, his testings were so difficult. But the wonderful example Job leaves us is that he never stopped TALKING to GOD. Even when he was confused and in horrible pain and suffering and betrayals from his friends.

It’s hard to concentrate

When we’re going through trials and testings, it can feel overwhelming. We may try to ignore it or we may try to talk ourself out of it. Sometimes we try to drown our sorrows in addictions and bad behavior. Often, we try avoidance by sleeping too much, or maybe we can’t sleep well or long enough each night, which can bring out the worst in us sometimes.

We often then neglect fellowship with God

And that is our biggest error. We become self-focused to the point that we neglect God-time. We neglect the very thing that will make the testing manageable and give us the victory.

It helps to remember this world is not our home

It’s easy to forget that this world is just a temporary residence, while we are in the midst of daily “testing. Yet, in spite of the fear or anxiety, we have a CHOICE to make. We can CHOOSE joy. We can CHOOSE to think before we speak.

We are not victims of our feelings. God has given us the “tools” to rise above the anxiety—to rise above that sense of overwhelm. He says ASK. He says SEEK Him. And then He promises when we seek Him, we WILL certainly find Him! He WANTS to be found by you and me.

CHOOSE this day to focus on God

Choose to be God-focused, rather than problem-focused. Run into the arms of God the Father. He has the answers you need. SEEK HIM in His Word—the Bible—and in prayer.

CHOOSE to TRUST your faithful God

SHOW yourself faithful in the midst of the testing. In the midst of anxiety, He even gives His beloved sleep and peace. He promises,

Ask and you will find Him expectantly waiting for you to come to Him, so He can express His love to you. So he can help you through the testing. The trial. The circumstance.

“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Jeremiah 33:3

Until next time…

Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus.

Related Post: Needing God Desperately

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,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am
Filed under: Holidays,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am
Filed under: Holidays,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am
Filed under: Holidays,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

Let’s Greet the New Year With Enthusiasm

Excited young woman

New Beginnings. Do you sometimes feel stuck and as though life is passing you by? Like there ought to be more than THIS??? Isn’t it time you did something that will help you move toward that dream/vision/ new beginning that you’ve just never followed through on…for whatever reason…and yet it still kinda haunts you? It just won’t “go away”. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that idea that is always lurking around in the background of your mind.

I first had a dream like that in 1978 and finally–in 2008–I hired a Christian Life Coach and asked him to teach me how to do what he did. It was a new beginning. He held that vision for me when it would get a bit weak and seemed far away. He held it and encouraged me until the dream is now a reality and I am now a Christian Life Coach, too. I am now my own boss. And I can choose my own hours and even better than that is the fact that I get to breathe life into the dreams of others, now. Just like my coach did for me! It just doesn’t get any better than that! Why not do what I did…and follow through on YOUR dream until it becomes a reality… With the help of a coach! That’s what we do.

I’d like to make it a bit easier for you to follow through on that dream toward a new beginning. If you commit to three months of coaching, then you can enjoy the fourth month FREE.  If you don’t take advantage of it, it’s like you are just throwing away a gift toward your future joy as you pursue a new perspective. A new way of looking at your life. And that would be sad!

I look forward to hearing from you very soon. You can contact me through the website at loavesandfishescoaching.com and we can arrange a FREE inquiry phone call so I can answer your questions and you can decide if coaching is right for you.

I love helping people with new beginnings. And I love giving gifts. Let me bless you this way so you can begin your journey toward new beginnings, just like I did a few years ago! You don’t want to wait as long as I did to find your true fulfillment in walking in your strengths!

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

Filed under: Christian Life Coaching,Holidays,Living From Your Strengths — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am