In life there are many challenges, sometimes we forget the God factor. I call it the God factor because it is God showing up in the middle of life’s worst situations and doing what seems impossible.
One of the things I’ve learned in my walk with Jesus is that the impossible is not near impossible as I think it is. He makes all things possible.
Philippians 4:13 reminds us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Isaiah 55:8 Jesus tells us “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.”
When I forget the verses above -The God factor. I begin to think like a mere person, limited by what I can do in my own strength. But God has created us for so much more.
Factoring in the God factor releases faith as it is totally dependent on what He can do through His strength and His strength is limitless we can raise our level of expectation.
“With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” Matthew 19:26
No matter how difficult or seemingly impossible a situation may be, with God’s help anything can be achieved.
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” -Hebrews 12:1
God has a race for us to run. He has a purpose for our lives. To run this race means to acknowledge that God’s purpose for our lives is what matters the most. Our 1st priority should be to discover and complete the purpose God has set before us.
We are each called by God to play a unique role in human history.
We are not eligible to run the race until we choose to enter it. God has already paid the entrance fee for us through His Son on the cross. So the issue isn’t about eligibility, but willingness.
Running this race must be something we continue day after day. It’s not to compete against others it’s about the destination.
The race requires endurance. It starts the moment we choose Jesus and lasts until we die or Jesus returns. This race through life has all kinds of hills and obstacles.
Imagine showing up to a marathon with your running shoes and 2 suitcases. We won’t make it far, just because we think we need all the stuff we’ve packed. But before to long we will have to make a choice to get rid of the excess baggage or get out of the race.
Most of us carry around excess baggage of sin, emotional burdens, and unresolved issues that we carry around and dread and then wonder why it’s difficult to stay in the race. These things easily entangle us and weigh us down with unnecessary baggage. But, when we repent and give it to God, all that extra baggage we carry will be lifted off us.
If we find that it’s difficult to stay in the race, the first thing we should check is what we are carrying.
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
Life comes with difficult phases in life. A fees of mine has been losing my father, my children moving out of the house, and recovering from cancer. But through all of that I had hope. Because I believed in the promises of God.
The assurance of His presence and His willingness to help if we ask Him gave me the confidence to face these challenges. Knowing there was something bigger than me and what was happening was key.
When I find myself in desperate situations, I know I can turn to God trusting that He will provide peace and comfort. I like the Verse in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9,
“We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed.”
The reality of facing difficult and challenging times is being encouraged and assured that even though I may be pressed m every side, I will not be crushed by the weight I feel in difficult times.
When facing difficult times Jesus invited us to come to Him. He promises to give us rest and ease the burdens that weigh us down. He offers to teach us and guide us through difficult phases in our lives.
If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?
If I could be someone else for a day, I would choose not to. It would be comparing yourself to someone else, and that would lead to negative emotions. And could lead to jealousy and diminished self-worth.
If you have a history of anxiety and depression in your life pretending to be someone else only triggers that.
Instead I practice gratitude, focus on being myself. It’s okay to be imperfect. God made us to be unique, we all have our own paths in life.
When someone says or does something that upsets us, our impulse can be to react right away, to let them know how we feel. When emotions are running high, these reactions are not helpful, and our mouths say things that get us into trouble. Reacting may feel good in the moment. If we take time to let our emotions settle down and respond from a calmer perspective and can lead to a better outcome.
Reactions are typically quick and emotional, driven by our immediate feelings, and less thoughtful words. It’s often automatic, immediate, and emotional that can be influenced by our past experiences and even our subconscious.
In contrast, a response is thoughtful, deliberate, and rooted in emotional intelligence. It involves stepping back analyzing the situation and then considering what we’re feeling and why we are feeling it. Responding involves considering the consequences of possible outcomes, and choosing a course of action that aligns with our goals.
There are a few things to consider that involve responding rather than reacting.
Pause and breathe -Deep breaths can slow the physical sensations of stress, and give your mind a moment to catch up before we speak.
Reflect before you speak -Take a moment to consider what you want to accomplish. This will help you align your actions with your objectives.
Practice active listening -Fully understanding the other person’s perspective can be essential in responding effectively.
Identify your triggers -Everyone has triggers, which can be defined as situations, words, or behaviors that can provoke intense emotional reactions. Having an awareness of our triggers can help us feel prepared to handle them more calmly when they happen.
Use I statements -When we respond or express our thoughts and feelings by starting sentences with “I” instead of “you.” This helps us focus on our personal experiences rather than accusing or blaming the other person so that our exchange can be constructive and less confrontational.
Knowing God‘s truth is not about feeling the love of God. It’s knowing and understanding that God‘s love isn’t based on emotional feelings, but rather on actively living according to God and principles. Knowing God‘s truth and demonstrating love through actions are not just experiencing warm feelings.
The Bible often emphasizes that true love is demonstrated through actions, not just feelings.
By studying and understanding the Bible, we can gain knowledge of God‘s will, which is considered the truth.
To truly “know” God‘s love means to live a life aligned with the principles found in the Bible.
1 John 4:16 says,
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us, God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Unfortunately, many people have made love the supreme being, they have made an idol of their idealized definition of love, and then they equate that false definition of love with who God is. Scripture tells us that love does not define God, but God defines love.
Love is an action, not an emotion. It’s something we do not something we feel that’s why love should be the servant of our will, not the slave of our emotions.
God’s love is based on Kingdom purposes, principles and service to others. Counterfeit love is based on passions, preferences, and service to ourselves.
1 John 2:10-11 states that whoever claims to believe in Jesus but does not love his brother is a person who it in darkness. They might claim to be in the light, but the absence of love reveals that they have embraced a counterfeit. Where the true light of Jesus shines there is authentic love.
We can see this today in the social and political climate. Those who reject God truth, whether on the left or the right are blinded by hate and walk in darkness. if you read any comments on social media, it is very clear that they are distorted and disoriented. They do not know where they’re going because darkness has blinded their eyes.
Matthew 6:22-23 tells us,
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.”
Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.
Quite a few years ago, I was volunteering at an organization when I was asked to be the president of my town chapter. They were in a tough spot, but the past one up and quit with no warning. It began as a year commitment. And then longer is a want to.
I worked my butt off, doing fundraisers, working on bettering my community by donating money to the food pantry, and helping the veterans get disability, and assisting in getting their needs met.
The issue was I was doing in with one other lady, and the other 9 who were volunteers also, said they would help but when it came down to the wire, they would back out. I would call them out on it, and it would become a “drama fest.”
I did my year of service and then stopped. It was an extremely stressful period of time for me. It would have been great if people would have worked together instead of making everything stressful.
I have a difficult time with volunteering for something and then being lazy and not helping. If people aren’t going to help they shouldn’t volunteer for anything that requires them to give of themselves.
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
I think the word or slang word that I dislike the most is “bruh.” It’s probably not the word itself, it’s because it just sounds disrespectful.
Bruh is supposed to be a slang term for “bro” or brother. And can be used to address anyone. But it just sounds wrong, I am okay with “bro” but not “bruh.“
There is a big difference between God strength, and our strength. We will never make it by depending on our strengthalone. God is the one who will stand with us and strengthen us in our journey through life.
Friends and family may forsake us, and others may forsake us, but when we know where our true strength lies it’s then we know everything will be alright.
We must depend on God’s strength because our human strength runs out too quickly. Human strength relies on earth, food, sleep, exercise, water, and sunshine. But, these things are not enough to make us strong in the Lord.
We must have and use the divine strength of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that is never in short supply.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of hosts” –Zachariah 4:6
When we depend on God strength, it strengthens our whole person, soul, mind and body.
Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:16-17,
“At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
Paul knew that God had called him to teach the gospel to the gentiles, and we must also know what God has called us to do in the world. It is then that God will stand with us and strength us, no matter what comes our way.
Paul would have never made it without depending on God’s strength because he endured many trials and persecutions than any other apostle. He took pleasure in his infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses for Jesus’s sake.
“For when I am weak, then I am strong” -2 Corinthians 12:10.
The Bible says,
“Let the weak say, I am strong” -Joel 3:10
This verse refers to being strong in the Lord, and when we are, we are strong in divine love, grace and peace. There is no ego in those things. When the right hand of God is moving for us, we have nothing to fear.
I am not strong as a person, but I am “God strong,” and Grace strong. I would not be who I am today, had it not been for God giving me His strength and His grace.
We are strong in God through His grace, we must depend on that sufficient grace. The Lord told Paul,
“My grace is sufficient for you. for My power is made perfect in weakness” -2 Corinthians 12:9.
When we are weakin our human strength, the strength of God will show up in us through His power. His love and His greatness.
Our flesh is too weak to perform spiritual things or fight the power of Satan. That’s why Paul said,
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh” -2 Corinthians 10:3
Through divine strength, we are able to pull down the powers of satan and stomp them under our feet.
Paul was an educated man before he was saved, he held one of the highest seats in the court of the Jews. He depended on his education, his position, and his authority and had confidence in his own strength.
After he was saved, Paul realized how weak his flesh really was, and he no longer had faith in it. He became circumcised in his heart and worshipped God in the spirit, and rejoiced in Jesus. (Philippians 3:3).
It is miraculous how God can take sinners like us and make us His children for the most High King.
Our flesh is weak but the Holy Spirit that comes to live on the inside of us is strong.
People with a lot of “higher” education can become so caught up in what they know that they can leave God out. This is why God takes people who are considered simple in the eyes of the world and makes them magnificent witnesses. No one needs to be highly educated to be able to understand God’s good news. It only takes a consecrated, dedicated, Holy Spirit-filled person to understand it.
When people are redeemed by God from all their sins in their souls they become perfect. James 1:5 says,
“If any on you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
God is willing to give us His wisdom, but we must be willing to give Him all the glory for it.
Everyone knows what it’s like to be angry. Our hearts beat faster, our chest tightens , we feel fixated on the person or thing that caused our anger, and we start thinking about how we can get even.
Anger is a natural human reaction to situations that we don’t like, but it isn’t a very effective one. If you take a moment to think about the consequences of anger, you might realize that it rarely solves whatever the problem was that provoked it. If we become angry about another person‘s behavior, it probably won’t result in changing their behavior. if we become angry about an unfavorable event that happens to us, our anger will do nothing to reverse what has happened.
What’s worse is the anger inhibits our ability to respond to the situation intelligently. There have been psychological studies that have shown that people process information less thoroughly and judge others more harshly when they’re angry. This can cause us to behave in ways that only perpetuates anger instead of addressing at cause.
In short, being angry, makes us stupid. We make horrible decisions, and most often regret the things we’ve said in the heat of it.
Anger is fully related to our instinctual fight or flight response. Anger is marked by psychological activity that prepares our body to fight off an aggressor, such as a release of adrenaline in our brain and increased blood flow to our muscles.
For our early ancestors, anger was auseful motion. It helped them control or kill animals, or other humans who pose a threat to their life. Angers, natural intensification of “us or them” making also might have been useful for protecting the tribe during conflict, increasing the individuals chances for long term survival.
The survival benefits of anger in rendered mostly obsolete in modern civilization. Physical assault and murder are not acceptable in our society. Today we are expected to solve interpersonal disputes, using logic, reason and understanding. This is much harder to do when we are angry.
Anger is not caused by what happened to us, but by how we habitually think about things. For example, if a stranger on the street makes a rude comment toward us, we can view it in one of two ways, as a personal attack on our character, or an outburst that reflects more on the speaker than on you. If we think about the situation in the first way, we are much more likely to become become angered.
There’s a way to change our thinking so we are less angered. The first step is to desensitize ourselves to our environmental triggers.
If we make a list of every situation, we can think of that typically makes us angry and then imagine these situations in our mind. Then we can concentrate on each one and take slow deep breaths. With practice, we can become much better controlling our emotions and staying calm when confronted with our anger inducing situations.
Once we are desensitized from our anger, triggers, then we can work on reframing our thoughts about them.
Once we take some time to think about the things, we are angry about, we might discover it was usually because I assumed the worst intentions.
If we work on changing the way, we think about the situations that anger us, we will find in time that anger no longer controls us. This is also the best way to help ourselves make smart, effective decisions in anger, inducing situations instead of ineffective, stupid ones.
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
I have been working on getting stronger after surgery. I hope that by August I will be able to hike and get back to swimming like I was before the surgery.
Getting my head in a place where I can accomplish these things is the first battle. I believe our bodies can do amazing things but the battle lies in our minds.
Dear younger self high school get into college and focus on your dreams and passions. You can’t runaway from your problems. You have to face your giants dead on or they will always hunt you.
Don’t allow yourself to be in any romantic relationships while you are working on your life. Always choose yourself first. Love yourself because no one will ever love you if you don’t have yourself figured out.
From Pity to Praise 