Growing in God

Usually I can just sit down and start writing. The words just seem to flow but this time was different. I was nervous and anxious but I wasn't sure why. Despite knowing what I wanted to write about, I kept delaying the inevitable. Why wasn't it flowing? Why was I being so hesitant about writing this time? Was it because it was too personal or hitting a little too close to home? Or maybe I wasn't making it a priority. I decided "enough was enough" and I needed to get this out. I believe that if God puts something on your heart, you better listen. No need to miss blessings because of laziness. Throughout my journey in growing in God, I have tried to be a better person, making adjustments here and there just like we all do. Most of those changes didn't cause much of a fuss in my life and seemed easy— but then God challenged me. Why was it okay for me to grow in God but not others?

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. - Romans 14:13 NIV

We are all guilty of judging others. No matter how many church services we attend or holy communions we take, at some point in our lives we have judged someone else. Whether it be how they dress, how they look, or even how they raise their children. We have all done it. Primarily we judge others based on how their behavior or actions measure up to our moral compass. This is a part of life but I realized that even if the person has changed, often we don't allow the perception of how we think of them to change. We create this barrier in our minds that blocks out their growth. We refuse to believe that our pettiness is no longer warranted or excusable. I was guilty of all of these things. Why was I still holding on to stuff people did in college or even last year? How could I grow in God but not give them the grace that God so eagerly gives to us?

After the nagging feeling just wouldn't go away, I started to evaluate myself. I realized that whatever I was holding on to was holding me back from being greater. So I made a decision that I would allow others to grow in God. Who was I to refuse that? If someone reached out or apologized for their wrongs, I wouldn't secretly wish they didn't so I could be the “better person.” Also, I decided to not let the opinions of others prevent me from developing my own opinion of someone. Just like I grew, others can too.

As women in this crazy NFL life it is easy to just judge others or refuse to associate with someone based on who they used to be. As women we should challenge one another to grow in God not through criticism or judgment but through love. Growing in God is a blessing that is not limited to the few that qualify; it is open to everyone.

How to Develop Relationships that Stand the Test of Time

John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” Proverbs 18:24, “A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.”

Relationship building is a key element to happiness in life, but very few will master. True friendships are built through selflessness, consideration, compromise and loyalty. Sometimes the hardest friendships to develop are the ones you have for a long time. It can be easy to take them for granted because it seems like those people will simply be there forever.

There are a few things that we all must do to maintain and develop lasting friends.

1. Be the kind of friend you want

Start treating your friends the way you want them to treat you, and you will begin to see them treat you the same way in return.

2. Ask questions

Find out how your friends are doing. Ask them about the things that they are involved in. Focus on the things you know they talk about, and be prepared to listen or help.

3. Offer your help when needed

A strong relationship means being ready to lend a hand to the projects and needs of others without making them beg or feel like they owe you a huge debt.

4. Be an encouragement

Try to be supportive as possible of your friend’s ideas and ambitions. You don’t have to support dangerous or immoral ideas, but when it’s within reason, offer your support. Try to be your friend’s biggest cheerleader.

True friendships are hard to come by and friendships that last are tested by time. Life’s greatest accomplishments are made solid through the support, laughter, tears and love of true friends. Don’t take them for granted!

Let’s Pray …

Father, we thank You that You have called us friend just like you did Abraham. Thank You for the friendships You have given us. Help us to treat others as we would want them to treat us. Reveal to us the things that are not pleasing in Your sight towards our relationships. Allow us to be kind, encouragers and uplifters of our friends and those you have placed in our lives. Grant us the wisdom, knowledge and understanding that it takes to handle each relationship with care and concern. Let us not take those for granted that are meant to be in our lives through the test of time, and in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Seek the Audience of One During the Crazy Holidays

Psalms 55:22 - Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. 1 Peter 5:7 - Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

As the end-of-year holidays rapidly approach, we as women are often so wrapped up in the festivities, taking on every responsibility and making sure every detail is organized for every single person in our lives, that we often fail to come back to the audience of one.

The One who centers us, balances our lives, regulates our heartbeat, steadies our footing and reminds us that as we sit with Him, He comforts us. God desires time with us, to hear what is on our hearts and minds. He is the one person that will always care about YOU and you can cast every single one of your cares upon and KNOW that He cares for you; and nothing you can ever tell Him is too heavy or too much.

In the busy times, in the rushed times, when it seems like we just don't have enough time ... He is still faithful to call us to Him. No matter how long your to-do list is or how many things are pressing for your time, make sure you stop and take time for the most important audience you will ever sit or stand before ... Your Lord and Savior ... the audience of One!

Let's Pray ...

God I thank You for being a great God, a BIG God who is capable of hearing every detail of our heart and caring so much for us that You never stop calling us to your presence. Thank you for sustaining us, for being our safe place, our place of peace and comfort. Lord even as the holiday season is upon us, keep our hearts reminded that You are still the center of it all. Allow us to be grateful and thankful. Show us how to love as we never have, to embrace those who many would turn away from, and to hold tight to our faith. Lift heavy hearts, ease troubled minds and let us walk with grace and peace in Jesus name. Amen

Preparation for Today

 

Psalm 90:12, 17 - “ Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts." “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands- establish the work of our hands!”

Colossians 1:11 -“Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light.

Preparation is key to life as a woman, a mother, a wife, and a business owner. You need preparation for everything, especially if you want things to run like a well-oiled machine. John C. Maxwell outlined several things that preparation allows you to do:

1. Allows you to focus on today
2. Increases efficiency
3. Increases confidence
4. Saves money
5. Pays for tomorrow now
6. Takes you to a higher level

There was a man by the name of Moses. He began to pray to God on behalf of the children of Israel. Moses had seen a generation squander 40 years in the wilderness. He believed that if leaders could only gain a keen sense of the swift passage of time, and if they would work for something significant, they could die with a great sense of satisfaction. He wanted them to understand that leaders don’t kill time, they execute it.

Preparation and good use of time, otherwise known as time management, go hand and hand. When you waste time – you waste moments of preparation. As women that stand beside some of the world's greatest athletes, you know there is an allotted time during off-season to prepare for the next season.

Consider this your off-season time to prepare for the things that God has given you. Use this time to ensure that your house is together, that your business ideas are growing and prospering, that your children are supplied with the necessities of life and that you have all of your off-season plans together. This can include: moving, gearing up for a new team or preparing for a list of family activities that bring rest and relaxation after a long hard season.

This is your moment to showcase all of the gifts and talents that God has given you. This is your moment to display your superior skills and talent, confirm your maturity level, and show your leadership and problem-solving capabilities. You can prove you're as much of a team player as you are an individual player for the sake of your family. You can show that you're a go-getter, a follower of direction, a student of the game of life, and an avid listener.

The Game Changer (Take-away) - John C. Maxwell, says:

• Good Decision – Daily Discipline = A plan without a Payoff
• Daily Discipline – Good Decisions = Regimentation without Reward
• Good Decisions + Daily Discipline = A Masterpiece of Potential

This is your moment! Prepare for the greatness that is ahead of you! It’s your time! Every minute of every second counts. God has given you something that most people can only dream of. Make the most of your preparation time.

Let’s Pray

Lord, we honor You for being such a great God and for keeping and carrying us once again into a brand new season. We are grateful and we are thankful. Lord, I lift up these great women to You today and thank you for the strength, love, endurance and keen insight that you have placed within them. Give them even greater eyes to see, ears to hear and revelation as they walk beside their husbands for the remainder of the football season.

Lord, we know that all things are in your hands, under your supervision and in your control. You are the great Alpha and Omega and you are the one who leads, guides and directs every footstep that they make. Lord, show them where to put their footing as they make decisions concerning their family, household and business movements for this season. God, give them clarity and the words to speak over their husbands as they are preparing for the field each day and when they come home.

Lord, I pray a spirit of peace and clarity to fall upon their household and every member in it in the name of Jesus. Let there be no clouds of confusion, distraction or division this season. Remove the weights, barricades and blockages that would endeavor to hinder or stop the move and flow of God in their homes, life, husband, business and family. God lift the standard yet again and show Yourself strong in their lives, emotions, stance and home. Thank you God for a mindset of preparation and a spirit of excitement. It is in the mighty, matchless and holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

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Strength in Weakness

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

All too often as women we are reminded that we must remain strong; strong for our families, children, loved ones, friends, etc. We develop an ability to smile when we really want to cry, to push when we really want to stop, to carry what so many others would have dropped, to continue to nurture when we ourselves need to be nurtured…and let us not forget that we are to do it all and still be perfectly polished right?!

But let’s just take a moment to throw that thought process of being strong all the time out the window and realize that God never told us to be strong in our own ability. As a matter of fact, He said that it is His very strength within us that is made perfect in our weakness. We all have areas in our lives of weakness, and if we spend our life trying to cover, camouflage and conceal our weaknesses, then we never truly allow God to be great in or through our lives. If we never get to the point of recognizing, and embracing our weaknesses, we will never know and experience the fullness and the power of the strength of God in and through us.

The most powerful moments in life you will ever have will not be at the height of the mountain top or in the things that you were able to accomplish in your own might and strength. It will be in the times when you were at your weakest and looked up to an everlasting, ever loving, ever powerful God and said, “God I need you. I need Your strength. I can’t do it on my own and I don’t want to. Be the strength that I am not. God show Yourself strong.” When God said in Exodus 3:14 “I AM THAT I AM”, it meant that God would be everything that you would ever need Him to be, when you needed Him to be.

He will be your strength when you are weak, your cover when you are exposed, your comforter when you are lonely, He is your EVERYTHING and there is no area of weakness in your life that is too much for God. He wants to be your strength so allow Him! You don’t have to do it on your own and it’s okay to be weak. Those are really your strongest times!

Let’s Pray…

Lord, I thank you for your amazing strength that is made perfect in our every weakness. I thank you for showing us the blessing in the weak areas of our lives because it is in those places that we see your greatness. God, thank you for using the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Thank You for allowing us to rest in you and to fall into your arms of love when we don’t know what to do. When we feel our weakness rise, I ask that You be the strength within us. Give us the peace to know that our weak areas do not make us fragile, they simply remind us that we are still in need of You. Lord, You are so great in all Your ways and for that we are forever grateful! In Jesus name. Amen

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Strength That Produces Peace

Psalm 28:7-8, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.”

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Women were created to be nurturers, carriers, incubators and producers. We were created to help establish and carry out the vision for the family and the home. This is the reason that God called us to be helpmates in the book of Genesis. It's in that very purpose where we tend to wear a lot of different hats and face all types of challenges and obstacles. While enduring hardships, learning to juggle many hats, balancing life and walking through some painful situations, our peace can sometimes be shaken.

In the times of ups, downs and roundabouts your strength can become tested and the mental strain can sometimes can become unbearable; but thank God, He promises that He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in the time of trouble. He promises us that He will provide a safe place for us to run to when we need it. When we run to Him that is where we find strength that produces peace.

There is something about the peace of God that surpasses all of our understanding. God’s peace will allow us to walk in the midst of storm with strength knowing that He has everything under control.

It’s time for you to tap into the power, strength and peace that God can provide to you. If you try to wear all of your hats and balance life on your own, you will burn out. Burn out always causes fatigue, lack of sleep and frustration which leads to anxiety and stress. The choice is yours, but I know you would rather relax in God knowing that He has it all under control and will provide the strength necessary to flood you with peace, clarity and direction for every area of your life.

Let’s Pray…

Father, I thank You that You thought of these women so much that you sacrificed Your life so that they would know what it was to find strength that produces peace. I thank You that Your peace surpasses all of their understanding and Your strength is made perfect in their weakness.

Lord, fill every lonely place, every dry place, breathe life into every place that seems dead in their lives. Reveal to them Your purpose and good pleasure for their lives. Strengthen them for the course and provide guidance and understanding so that may reach their full potential in You. Give them ideas and creativity for business, community development and kingdom building.

Father, grant unto them strategy to balance all of the hats they have to wear. Give unto them the grace to carry the weight and responsibility that You have given them. Allow them to know that You have a safe place for them at all times for every situation in Jesus name Amen!

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His Creation, His Image, My Mirror

2 Corinthians 10:12, “ For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.”

Jeremiah 1:5, “ I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.

William Shakespeare said it best, “This above all: to thine own self be true.” The power of success lies in true identity. Recognizing and knowing who you are has the power to propel you to fulfilling your purpose.

Identity is defined as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” You can only be who you were created to be. When you operate as a counterfeit, you are no longer authentic and you have just lessened your value to become null and void. In order to find out who you were created to be you have to go to the source of your creation, the creator Himself, God.

God created us to be a representation, reflection, or mirror image of Him. It is amazing that through life we take the images, patterns, personalities and behaviors of everything and everybody that we come in contact with. We see all kinds of NFL wives images on television, in magazines, on social media, Internet and walking around us that sometimes causes a mental distortion in comparison. When we begin to take on those various distortions and they begin to cause us to lose our true identity and the very thing that God created us to be.

When we look in the mirror we should see ourselves as Christ does. Our reflection should be that of God. He created you in His image and in His likeness. Don’t let others opinions of you and what and who you should be conform you into what you were not created to be. Remind yourself daily that you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Let’s Pray…

Lord, I thank you for your beautiful daughters. I thank You, that You made no mistake in their molding, shaping and creating. You have adopted them into the beloved and You chose them to call Your own.

Lord, I pray that You show them their true identity in You and that all false labels and life lies fall off their lives this day. I ask that You allow them to see their authentic reflection in You when they looks in the mirror and that their lives align with Your truth about who they are in You. I ask Lord that You shape their ways to be Your ways, their will to be Your will and their minds to be Your mind.

Let them no longer question who they truly are, or what their true purpose is, but show them clearly and give them the courage and the strength to walk out the fulfillment of it. Show them clearly the women that You have created them to be. Let their kingdom purpose be known and their lives be lived in the fullness of Your design in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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The Image of "I AM"

Genesis 1:26-27, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Psalm 139:14, “I will praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.

So many of us have heard that we're "made in the image of God." The very idea is a nice thought to hold on to when we need a reminder of our value in life, relationships or difficult situations. But I want us to challenge ourselves a little further than to just think of this in the sense of a nice thought and truly grasp hold of the truth that God literally created the beauty, strength, stature, mind and everything that composes who you are in the very image of Himself.

Do you realize that when you feel like you are less than adequate or inferior or life is telling you that you are not good enough or enough, that God looks at you and says remember that everything I am you are! There is a beauty about you that is astonishing, it radiates from the heart, spirit and soul of who you are. You are the image of The I AM! Nothing about you is less than.

You are GOOD because God is GOOD! You possess everything that you will ever need to in order to accomplish everything that you will ever need to. The greatest blessing in knowing who we in the image of God is that God didn't make us "GOD"...He made us "godlike"...meaning that we have such an incredible strength and ability but even in that, when we face things that get tough we don't have to look to OURSELVES to have all the answers...we can look to the GREAT GOD that created us.

Let's Pray…

Lord I thank you for making this incredible woman in Your image and Your likeness. Lord always remind her of the greatness that is contained on the inside of her and the beauty and grace that she carries.

Give her peace in her mind and strength in her spirit to always see herself as You see her. May she never look to herself to be her own god, but always look to you as her Great and mighty God. Show her that she is indeed fearfully and wonderfully made.

When she questions her value, her position, her beauty or what she is made for, speak clearly Your word back over her that she is the image of I AM and in that she can stand boldly. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

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