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Trust. Don’t Be Too Late

A Mini-Minute with Pam: Trust. Don’t Be Too Late

Continuously following

Don’t be too late… Easter is fast approaching. Each year, naturally the focus is on Jesus’ sacrifice. His death. For you. For me. But what if this year is different. What if Jesus came this very hour just as you finished reading this post? Would someone else have to shut off your computer or would you still be there to do that?

Will you join me in this prayer?

Your love is amazing, Lord Thank you for going to the Cross for me. For my sin, so I don’t have to. Lord, what do I have to do, in order to put myself in the path of Your blessing? I believe the answer is to have a heart response to your invitation to join your Family. And to be content in You. To be prepared for Your coming back for Your own. To KNOW in my KNOWER that YOU are LORD of my life.

What if my scenario above happens

Are you ready? There is a story of a workman that was always the first out the door when the siren sounded for the end of the work day. When asked how he was able to consistently do that, his response was simple. “I stays ready so I don’t have to get ready.” What about you? ARE YOU READY? Or are you hoping for more time to GET ready?

Don’t be too late

It is a matter of trust. Do you believe any day now you could hear the shout of the Lord and the trumpet blasts to announce his coming for His own? Are you one of His own? Things are pretty bad right now in the country. In the whole world, actually. There was a big gathering in DC this week and the cell phone coverage was unavailable for a period of time. It caused quite a stir. So many signs point to the possibility that we need to STAY READY. When He comes, will you GO? Or will you be left behind?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
In all you ways, acknowledge Him
And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Some versions say, “…And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Is Easter just giving up stuff?

Many people focus on the call to discipleship as a call to self-denial…specifically at Easter time. That is often the case. Giving up something. Dying to your own desires. But the Christian life is more than just giving up stuff. Rather, as you draw closer to the Lord, His desires become your desires. Your will begins to closely align with His will. It becomes more about the amazing relationship that develops between you and Jesus. The closeness. The freshness each day. The joy of “belonging”. You are His and He is yours. Forever. You don’t—you can’t—do ANYTHING to EARN that. It is a gift to those who CHOOSE to TRUST HIM. His call to you is to follow Him unceasingly. Unconditionally. Always seeking to know Him better. Seek Him in the Scriptures. Don’t just read the Bible. LOOK for HIM on every page. He’s there! Waiting for you!

Moment by Moment

Discipleship for a Jesus follower is day-by-day. Delighting in Him. Desiring to make Him happy. To FEEL Him smiling at you. To believe that He knows what is best for you. Do you fully trust Him? Walk toward His Light. Don’t sit in the darkness.

Related Post: Stunning Realization. Easter

Looking closely at Psalm 57

“He (David) was facing multiple dangers and what bothers him most is the slander, gossip, and criticism surrounding him. Verbal cruelty can do just as much damage as physical abuse. He refuses to respond with hateful words…

“God’s presence is the only safe place when life seems to be falling apart and we are wounded by the words and actions of others. This habitual practice of prayer and praise in such times is David’s lifeline. It can be ours as well.

“Instead of spending sleepless nights worrying about what he cannot change, he uses these hours awake to find suitable expressions of praise and worship… Do you know how to speak to your soul like that?”

Almighty God, there is nothing too hard for you! When I face hardship, keep my mind and heart fixed on who you are.

— Encounter with God

Until next time.

Personality and Jesus

Do you know who God created you to be? Have you ever stopped to think about how your personality affects the way you interact with others? Find out more in this new book by Pamela A. Taylor.

Personality and Jesus

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

www.loavesandfishescoaching.com

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

What If You Finish What You Start?

A Mini-Minute with Pam: What If You Finish What You Start?

Done is better than perfect,

Know your strengths

It’s important to know your personality strengths so you understand why you do what you do. God made you unique. You are like no other. So on the most basic level of understanding: A Lion personality is driven by an active will and the need to get results. An Otter personality is driven by emotion and the need to influence. A Beaver personality is driven by logic and need to do things right. A Golden Retriever personality is driven by a passive will and the need to help.

Know each other’s strengths

You can see how different we are from each other. And why conflict is possible and probable in our relationships. When that happens, if we take a step back a bit, we can probably find just the right approach when we have something we hope to accomplish together.

Personalities and Decluttering

I mentioned in another post that I recently spent a week under the mentorship of an amazing Decluttering Coach. It was called a “Decluttering Challenge” by Sarah Mueller. Now, think of each of the personalities and how they each might respond to the challenge. Have you figured out which personality you might have?

(If you’d like to know for sure, perhaps you’d like to click over to the Ministry Insight website and take a 15 minute survey to find out for sure.)

Sarah understood how to appeal to each of us in the Challenge, in order to bring out the best in each of us.

Books Available

If you’re curious and would like to know more about how to live out your strengths to the glory of God, I’ve written three books about Personality Differences. You can find them on Amazon and also on my website.

Starters and Finishers

As a Living Your Strengths Mentor Coach, I have been reflecting on the what and why of clutter and decluttering. I remembered that the Lion and the Otter personalities start things easily and that the Beaver and the Golden Retriever personalities are more apt to finish what they start even if they have to stay up all night to do it. So, you can see how valuable it is to know about that when you are choosing a team. We need both starters and finishers.

Finish What You Start

So, ever since the Decluttering Challenge, I started to realize how often I now have been actually working on a project and be tempted to lay it aside, and hear myself saying: “FINISH”. Hmmmm…

That is one of the key words that Sarah taught. FINISH. It is an action word. And it is powerful.

I won’t give away her secrets here about exactly all that the FINISH word entails. It is so much more than just a word. You will have to take her course to find out more. But as a Beaver personality, FINISH is a COMFORTABLE word for me personally. Beavers like to finish what they start.

What If You Finish What You Start?

Spiritually speaking, what is God calling you to finish? We are spiritual beings. Whatever we do, affects your relationship with God. Maybe that promise to yourself to have a daily exercise routine, lose weight, eat healthy, stop gossiping, get your anger under control, finish a project you started, or perhaps…

Did you start reading through the Bible in January with the intention to read all the way through and somehow you got out of the habit? If that is you, I encourage you to begin again today. There are tons of reading plans out there. Keep trying until you find one that actually works for you. Equip yourself for these challenging days ahead. Get your “Sword of the Spirit” (which is the word of God) sharpened and ready for what’s ahead. Figure out the best time of day that works for you. You don’t have to do what anyone else is doing. When you arise, before you turn out your light at night, over your lunch break, while on the treadmill. Whatever works. Just DO it! Finish what you started. Or if you haven’t started, then there is no better time than TODAY. Start, so you can Finish!

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,Personality Strengths and Weaknesses — Tags: , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

I Asked God For…

A Mini-Minute with Pam

Smilie Emoji
I have a long list of things I ask God for. I can rattle them off and sometimes get frustrated with Him that He hasn’t answered YET.

One day, something changed as I read this verse in the book of Jeremiah:

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

Jeremiah 32:27 KJV

A bit frustrated, I commented: “I KNOW that nothing is too difficult for You, so…”

And right there is where it was obvious that God stepped in to correct my attitude.

He put this thought in my mind:

I asked God ”…So, what do ‘I’ need to do to put myself in the path of Your blessing?”

Zowie. That definitely was NOT me…it was God teaching me through His Holy Spirit!

You might want to sit down for how He answered. It is not what you might expect–like I need to do some kind of good works or spend more time in the word and memorizing.

NOPE!

His answer was: “C O N T E N T M E N T ! “

I was silent. That was not what I was expecting. I had no doubt it was God. And, the response gave me peace. It felt RIGHT.

And–because Contentment is something we CHOOSE, rather than some task we DO–it took away the feeling of overwhelm.

Because if you are like me, you never feel like you have done enough. There is always a need…

Contentment. It is a change of heart. An attitude change. God desires to bless us.But often our hands are full of ourselves.

But, He wasn’t done with what He wanted to teach me…

He then said: “AND…ACT like you’ve learnED it.”

Past tense. LearnED.

Isn’t that just like our FATHER GOD? Always doing the unexpected. Keeping us on our toes. And ALWAYS answering when we sincerely ask.

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

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

Glory, Glory. For Your Glory, God.

I’d love to know your thoughts in the comment section…

Onward Christian soldiers.

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 — 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

God’s Unfailing Love is Relentless

Lion and Lamb in clouds
Did you know that God actually thinks about you all the time. ALL the time! His love is relentless. God’s unfailing love is never-ending. He will never STOP loving you and wanting you with Him throughout all eternity. Does that sound good to you? The choice is yours to make.

“How precious are your thoughts about me O God. They cannot be numbered.

Psalm 139:17

God’s unfailing love is steady and persistent.

Unyielding. He never gives up on us. He is always and forever daily pursuing me and you with love every moment of our lives, assuring us that no matter how far we run, or how big a mess we make, goodness, love and mercy will chase after us until our final breath.

How wonderful it is to be assured of the depth of God’s love! Have you personally had the opportunity of experiencing it? Have you asked Him into your life to be your personal Lord and Savior? If not, why not? He has been called the Hound of Heaven because He pursues you. And He does whatever it takes to draw you into His loving arms. Let’s talk! Don’t waste another minute!

“O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of distress.”

Isaiah 33:2

It is so true that He helps us through hard times and rejoices with us through the good times. And when you walk with God, it is true…

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

Philippians 4:13

Sharing with you a prayer I often pray:

Holy God, I pray for Your strength today to think clearly, serve creatively and follow You consistently.
Father, You have all authority in Heaven and on earth.
Fill my mind with clear convictions that You are in charge.
Empower me to stand true to You!
And Lord, I know that You never ask me to do anything more than You will provide the strength to accomplish.

Old Testament people have a lot to teach us.

Take for instance, Job, in the Old Testament. He had many, many losses and trials. Yet, Job never stopped talking to God through it all. He didn’t understand why all that was happening to him, but he continued His relationship with God. He suffered. He lost everything. Absolutely everything. He was in pain. He was forsaken by friends and family. Yet, Job was still able to confidently say: “I know that my Redeemer lives; and that in the end, He will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25)

Related Post: God’s Love Letter to You!

The Psalm 23 is familiar to most people.

But, has it become too familiar? Let’s stop for a few minutes and think about this carefully: “He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:2b-3) Do you have that assurance? He has made many great and precious promises to those who call Him Lord. For instance, there’s the care He gives us. The personal concern and relentless love. Knowing you are precious in His sight, even before you call Him Lord. We tend to hold back and give ourselves a way out. But He wants you to give Him ALL of your heart. Not just part of it. ALL of your dreams and ALL of your heartaches.

“When I said, ‘my foot is slipping’, your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.”

Psalm 94:18

“But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.”

Psalm 33:18

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you, Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 13:5-6

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalm 51:1-2

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

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

“Where Two or Three Are Gathered”

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

What encouraging verses! Full of promise…

The wonderful blessing about the Bible is that there is always the opportunity to get fresh insights and learn new principles. That happened to me just this last week.

For many years when praying with others–whether with seasoned saints, or in a group setting–inevitably there will be someone asking that we “agree with them” in prayer. I would wonder: Is there more power if someone AGREES with us in prayer?

They would pray something like: “Lord, you promise:  if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them; …Thank You that You promise wherever two or three have gathered in Your name, You are there.”

The implication has been that if He is here, listening to our prayers, then naturally, He will say YES to whatever we are praying. (IF there are two or three of us agreeing, that is.) It felt kinda like a good luck charm. A genie in a bottle type of magic prayer. A name it, claim it and bag it kinda prayer.

It has made me uneasy for years, but I didn’t know why. I never bothered to look up the verse in context while someone was praying (Or even afterwards, either). These were seasoned saints. Mature Christians. It was a given. No questions asked. But it still felt off to me somehow. Yet, I just shrugged it off and went on with my life. Until I couldn’t anymore.

Mystery Revealed

I have learned that if I wait long enough, God will reveal what has previously been a mystery. I LOVE when that happens.This last week, my Encounter with God daily devotional lesson was God’s instrument to enlighten me. God loves to surprise us like that!

Wonder of wonders! By reading verse 20 in context. (Matthew 18:15-20 NAS) as part of my assignment that day I discovered the TRUTH. And I finally understood my uneasiness. That verse was being taken out of context in those prayer meetings. It is a great verse, but it is not for the purpose of answering just any prayer we might pray. It is addressing a specific issue. It is actually part of a teaching of reconciliation in a Christian setting, where one person has gone astray and the TWO or THREE are those attempting to restore the ONE. The TWO or THREE are to be witnesses to the conversations about the offense or sin. Like in a court of law.

It is FIRST to be handled privately. If unsuccessful, then two or three witnesses go with the one. If that is unsuccessful, then it is taken before the church/group. And when done according to Scripture, the Lord will add His blessing, by being there with you through it all. He will never leave us or forsake us. Even if the ONE refuses to reconcile and goes their separate way.

It is a beautiful plan. But sadly, it doesn’t seem to be practiced much. The plan is hard work. It is focused work. Focused on the outcome of reconciliation for the ONE going astray. The enemy of our souls knows that it is much easier to get us distracted from the context of the verse, which is ultimately for the good of all.
(It is much “easier” to ask someone to agree with you in prayer, rather than doing the “grunt” work of restoration.)

Application

“Care and a loving attitude should go hand in hand with such discipline…This is all very challenging, but Jesus promises His blessing on action properly taken to try to reconcile believers to one another.”

–Encounter with God (November 2022)

Discipline, Prayer, Reconciliation (Let’s recap it all … in Biblical context)

“Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that ON THE]TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER MAY BE CONFIRMED. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he is to be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Matthew 18: 15-20 NAS

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.

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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

Life’s Constantly Moving Targets. Setting Priorities.

Woman looking at camera

Here we go again.

It is that time of year to begin taking stock of you life. Setting goals. Are there changes you need to make? What do you like/want to keep? What do you want to work on? What do you need help with?

January is just around the corner.

And leading up to January is typically the time for evaluating last year; and for setting fresh priorities for the new year.

Reprioritize your focus.

Setting priorities in the middle of life’s constantly moving targets should probably be done in sound bites rather than all at once. Take time to do it deliberately and with mindfulness. It is just too easy to get discouraged in that “not yet” state of being…So, take it slow and deliberately. Examine family, work, church, play obligations. What goes? What stays?

Ask yourself: most important priority?

The Apostle John teaches (see John 3:1-21) you MUST be born again. It is not an option. It is by God’s design. You can be assured that out of this flows all the power of God to help you accomplish all He has for you. It is not an option. We are each created by His design. Our God knows what is best for each of us individually. For our eternity. This is the starting place and is non-negotiable if you want TRUE success.

What is evidence you are born again?

You become a follower of Jesus. You get to know Him through His Word…the Bible. It is not the words you speak. Or any act you do. It is WHO are you following? WHO is your role model?

What is evidence you are a follower of Jesus?

You long for and have a relationship with Jesus. You look forward to time reading and studying His Word. Memorizing it. The sword of the Spirit. The weapon you can pull out to fight the devil’s discouragement and roadblocks along the paths of life.

You begin to talk with Him about what you read. Learning to trust Him more with each passing day. You can’t see the wind, but you can observe its power. You can’t see the Spirit but you can feel it each day as He encourages and guides you as you spend time with Him. He desires to disciple you. And that takes time. This is: Priority #1.

What is evidence you have a relationship with Jesus?

You are steadily becoming more like Him in thought, word, and deed. It doesn’t happen overnight. It is a gradual process. Just like the parent/child relationship. The child has to learn the various aspects of growing up. So does the child of God. You start with milk and you graduate to meat. You begin to show evidence you are: The follower of Jesus. The disciple of Jesus. YOU! 😉

In a nutshell.

Re-prioritize your focus. Your #1 focus is your relationship with Jesus as a follower of Christ. God will take care of the rest. You will be amazed how things fall into place when you turn to Him for guidance about everything.

Separation Anxiety.

When you first make that step, there can be a separation anxiety. Things may feel strange. And even periodically along the way, it is common to lose focus and suffer from separation anxiety. But do what you did at first and peace will return.

The solution?

Always: Come “Home” to Jesus.

“Father, I easily drown in a sea of priorities. Give me grace to accept that my relationship with You should be the most important goal of my life.”

Scripture Union’s Encounter with God. November 17, 2016.

I’d love to talk with you about your goals and priorities. Click the blue button and let’s get started!

God bless you bunches!

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,Living From Your Strengths,Spiritual Life — Tags: , , , , , , , — Pam Taylor @ 7:00 am

What Do a Billboard and a Cake Have in Common?

Socal Harvest reg Laurie Billboard

A Billboard Company & An Evangelist

A billboard company in Southern California changed their mind about running an ad “… for an evangelist – simply because he is holding a Bible. For 28 years, world-renowned evangelist Greg Laurie has been holding evangelistic crusades in Southern California, where he has led tens of thousands to Christ and encouraged millions in their faith.” – One News Now (AFR)

The pastor/evangelist had arranged for a billboard company to create and post his ad on their billboard. In the ad, a silhouette of the pastor was holding a Bible (no cross or even the word Bible on it) in his hand.

Push Back

So the ad was posted on the billboard, the sign company got some push back and asked Laurie to remove the image of the Bible from the picture. The pastor agreed. And on that very day the new image was to be installed, the sign company came back and said, “Well, we’re not going to put that up, and the other one’s coming down – and we’re not going to put up anything.” (They did refund their money.)

I first heard about this billboard spiritual battle on American Family Radio (AFR) .

A Cake Artist and the Courts

Embed from Getty Images
Another example of a spiritual battle from the news that morning was about Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop. In his first legal battle, Jack was accused of discriminating against a same sex couple wanting him to bake a cake for their wedding. He is an “artist” and he expresses his artistic talent through his cake decorating. But, he could not and would not bake a cake with a message that would violate his freedom of speech by expressing a message that went against his Christian faith. He felt it would be endorsing a same-sex wedding, which he could not and would not do. There was much push back; and he suffered great losses on many fronts. But, because he felt he was treated unfairly on the basis of his religion and he knew it represented more than just cake baking, he took it all the way to the Supreme court and he won the case. The majority in the court agreed with him.

Jack is Consistent in Walking Out His Faith

“On the very day the Supreme Court decided to hear Masterpiece Cakeshop (June 26, 2017), a caller asked the bakery to make a cake with a pink inside and a blue outside, celebrating a gender transition from male to female. The shop politely declined, but Phillips believes that the same lawyer, on other occasions, requested that he create other custom cakes with messages that violate his faith — a cake celebrating Satan and a cake with Satanic symbols. The lawyer…a man identifying as a woman…” – PJMedia.com

I first heard about this 2nd spiritual battle for Jack on pjmedia.com .

Sloppy Agape or Dressed for Battle?

What do a billboard and a cake have in common? Both stories are about serious spiritual battles. This is old news, but these battles continue to this day.  What is a person to do? Pray for wisdom and favor, friends. Our country was founded on Biblical principles. The Bill of Rights was thoughtfully planned out and purposefully written as the authors realized that the each “right” was necessary. We must honor what our founding fathers intended. The battle between good and evil is intensifying. We cannot live our lives exercising sloppy agape. This is serious business. We must remain dressed for battle in our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and continue to keep our relationship with the Lord Jesus strong.  Always alert, because the enemy prowls around looking for someone to devour…

Loving the sinner, but not the sin

If an evangelist and a cake maker must go through such battles, then we must not think we will be immune. We must be supportive of them. And, we MUST be ALERT IN THE SPIRIT!!! We must be proactive, seeing clearly the signs of the times. Loving. Kind. Respectful. YES! AND at the same time, also realizing we are in a battle for souls! Loving the people, but hating the sin.

Setting the captives free

In the strength of the Lord, we are blessed and equipped for healing the broken-hearted and setting the captives free. Are you willing? Our battle is NOT against flesh and blood but against a spirit world that has been working to thwart God’s plans from the very beginning. We are “awaiting His shout” together. Occupying and working until Jesus comes again…

Until next time, I am…

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