Almost every Saturday, my husband runs with me. It’s really a beautiful thing, especially since he does not share my passion for running.  Okay, truth be told; he runs a little bit, turns around and waits for me back at the house.  According to him I run way too far and far too long, but that’s another story.

This morning we hit the road as usual at o’ dark thirty when something atypical happened. He was apparently inspired to run.  He started out at a faster pace than his norm.  I thought woohoo! Step it up girl. This is going to be a great run.  I must admit, the competitor in me woke up.  In almost the same instance that I considered hitting the accelerator, I was reminded that we were only 4 minutes into what would be a couple of hours of running (at least for me).  I also heard the word, “Discipline.” I calmed down.  A few meters later, I was inspired to share some thoughts about discipline with you.  

Achieving your goals takes discipline. Yes, anointing, talent, opportunities, as well as other things matter, but discipline prepares you to repeatedly perform at a higher level. It prepares you to repeat success.  Discipline makes actions natural and effortless. It takes discipline to set a course and follow through.  It takes discipline to hold on when everyone else says it’s okay to quit, give up or postpone the dream.  It takes discipline to run your race and resist the urge to keep up with others; especially when you feel you have the strength and ability to do it.  It definitely takes discipline to start something new in the face of obstacles.  True discipline insulates you from the pull of inevitable distractions, emotional swings, and even temptations that seek to derail you from achieving God’s best for your life.  In your faith inspired walk, know that the Holy Spirit is the agent and administrator of discipline for your life. He provides the training opportunities for you to learn and rehearse the patterns of success.  Remember to listen to him, obey his guidance, and trust that he will lead you to achieving every goal God has set for your life. Stay on the path he has outlined for you.  When you live a disciplined life, peace, fulfillment, and success will overtake you.

Blessings to you!
MC

Just sharing a piece from today’s message, “Crossing Jordan: Developing the Courage to Step into Your Destiny”

It is a fact that in order to get to a new place you must be willing to move. The same is true when it comes to the spiritual laws of God.  When he changes the season and is ready to move you to something new, you must be willing to leave one place and head for new territory. Sometimes, change is scary.  Stepping out on faith seems like a brand new thing even when you’ve done it before.    That place can be literal or figurative but one thing I am sure of is this:  God wants you to access every promise he has ever made to you and the time is now.  Kingdom work depends on you stepping into your destiny.  Abundant life is waiting for you, are you ready?

God wants you to walk right into the proverbial Promised Land.  He wants you to live a completely fulfilled, passionate, and inspired life. He wants your life to bring glory to his name, prove the truth of his word, as well as inspire and influence others.  This is a fundamental aspect of Kingdom expansion.  While pursuing the dreams that God has placed inside you makes for fanciful thoughts and exciting conversation; actually taking the steps to change your life in the pursuit of destiny is another thing all together. 

 Some think that it takes inner strength, personal determination, hard work, or even luck to achieve personal success. And though, I believe those can be important elements of success; there is one other essential element.  This element it seems is possessed by each person that dares to live the life God designed for them. That element, my friend, is courage.  Those who will live a kingdom centered life will possess and exhibit courage. When you demonstrate courage to God, it sets the miraculous in motion. 

 Living the life God sees for you will require courage. It is what God required Israel to demonstrate in order to gain access to the Promised Land.  It is what he requires you to demonstrate as he moves you into fulfilling the plans he has for you. You must be courageous. 

Courage is not you talking yourself into doing something.  Courage is not a display of bravado that when tested proves itself to be weak and useless.  Courage is defined as,” mental or moral strength to venture, stand, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”  It is not merely for the spiritually elite nor is it reserved just for those who go to battle.  It is for you, today as you pursue Kingdom Living.  You need courage in everyday life in order to stand.  There are three building blocks of courage:

DIRECTION: KNOW GODS PLANS. Get clear on what God’s will is for your life. It may take some prayer, study, and assistance but you’ve got to know where you are going.  Do I really know what God wants me to do in this situation? Have I studied the word concerning this?  God’s will always has a direction.  It always leads to the path of righteousness.  Make sure you are following the words that guide you to him.  Take the time to align your plans with his plans.  Read and reflect upon Jeremiah 29:11-14.

DESIRE: PURSUE GOD PASSIONATELY. You have to want what God wants for you. This can’t be some philosophical conversation but an intense desire to experience the life that he says is yours.   In fact, you should feel incomplete when you don’t. These feelings should drive you to pursue him more.  “One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Read and reflect upon Psalm 27: 4.

DEPENDENCE: TRUST GOD COMPLETELY.  Stepping into your destiny requires God’s help, but you must make the first move.  You must trust God enough to know that when you step out he will move mountains, rivers, collapse walls, close the mouths of hungry lions or whatever else he needs to do to assure you of success, but you’ve got to step out. Read and reflect upon Proverbs 3:5-7.

Courage will make you get out of the boat and walk on water.  Courage will cause you to look at obstacles and not get deterred. Courage is essential and it is needed when you get ready to make a shift in your life.  So, go ahead cultivate courage and begin to walk by faith and not by sight!  Pursue God’s best for your life. 

Blessings to you!

 MC

Just a  few more thoughts from the last post… 

As you dare to plug into God and take bigger steps of faith, remember these things:Focus is critical.  The ability to focus is crucial to fulfilling vision. Sometimes we forget who we are to focus on and allow activities or things to become the center of everything.  This can cause things to become idols in your life.  If you are to fulfill God’s vision for your life you must also learn to narrow your focus.  When you are focused you make progress.  You accomplish things. Focus produces action that yields results. Don’t mistake a focused state of mind with a hypnotic state of mind.  Believe that it is God that brings increase.Methods changes… principles don’t. God’s principles are unfailing and unchanging, yet there are many ways to do things. When God is preparing you for a new season you must be willing to change.  Sometimes the change is not so much what you do, but what/how you think about doing it. Be willing to adjust and to be adjusted.  Allow God to elevate your thoughts, sharpen your action, and reshape your plan.  You will find that inspiration comes when you stop fighting about something God is working to change. Believe that he wants to the best for you.God is God.  You must trust and believe him.  You must whole-heartedly believe that God knows what is best for you. You must always remember that where you are, what you are experiencing, even what you are feeling is not news to him.  He knows where you are right now, what’s going on in your life and how you really feel about it.  You must find ways to reverence and obey him in all things.  Learn to walk in agreement with God and you will discover a new level of power for your life.  Believe that God’s word will not come up short.Today, I challenge you to make a deliberate decision to silence the noise around you and plug into God.  Don’t allow the busyness of life keep you from excelling in God’s business.  He wants so much more for you, your life, and your area of influence.  Plug in!Blessings to you!

MC

Over the past few months, it may seem that I’ve been a little unplugged since I’ve spent considerable time away from blogging, Facebook, and Twitter. In reality though, the time I spent away from certain things created greater space for others things like rest, reflection, and refocusing.  I was actually away from Facebook for so long, at least by their standards, that when I accessed my page they sent me a “Welcome Back” email. That was just too funny.

 At any rate, I wish I could say that it was all a part of my well thought out plan.  I can’t. I wish I could say I was keenly aware of and willing to take the time I needed for rest, reflection, and reconnecting.  I can’t. I cannot take the credit - it belongs to God.  You see, he always has a plan. He knows what we need and will make sure we get it even if we are too busy to notice. What an awesome and loving God.  By his sovereignty, God continuously leads us to rivers of restoration, revival, and even relaxation.  He is our shepherd.  God knows when it is time to quiet the noise, slow the pace, and position you for transition. God knows the who, what, when, why, where, and how of your life.  He wants to share it with you.  He wants to ensure that you are following the path he has outlined.  He wants to insure you against being overcome by the challenges and circumstances of life. He wants to give you strength and courage when it seems that the path of life  you are walking is different than you imagined.  It is important to remember that God is with you, leading you, and guiding you.  Again, heknows what’s best. He is the ultimate life strategist. It is also important to listen and be willing to adjust your pattern in order to conform to his plans.  Refuse to get more focused on doing things than listening to him. If your focus is off you may miss out on some critical changes that he is making in your life.

Today, God may be asking you to make more room for him in order to get clearer on the vision he has for your life.  He may be tugging at your heart to pray more or perhaps longer in order to be reassured that you are on track, even if it looks or feels a little strange.  He may be encouraging you to trust him and step out on faith even if things look a little different. Resist the urge to succumb to fear and doubt.  Resist the temptation to fight to maintain the status quo.  Don’t waste time and energy fighting to hold on to something God has allowed to come to a natural end; he is moving you to new and better things.  Keep walking and trust him for new opportunities and opened doors. 

I see it a little like our drive from Italy to Germany. As we travel we go through tunnels, over bridges, up mountains, and across plains. We see so many different things, but it’s all beautiful. The point is, your journey will not be made up of one particular type of terrain, don’t let that cause you to panic or give up. If you lack clarity and certainty dare to unplug from a few things that may be stealing your time and plug into God.  You see, it’s during times of uncertainty that you must be completely plugged into God. God wants to give you certainty.  It is in his presence that you gain the courage and strength to persevere—knowing that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  It is in his presence that you are assured of his power and ability.  It is in his presence that you come to humbly rely on him and not yourself.  He wants the best for you and will stop at nothing to get it to you. You must trust him and step out in faith.

My prayer for you is that you are completely and wholeheartedly connected to God and pursuing his vision for your life.

Blessings to you!

MC

As I talked about in the previous blog, God intends to bless you.  You must connect faith, action, and obedience.  Today, I want to share three character traits that you must possess and perfect as you stand upon the word of God.

Be conscientious.  Resist the temptation to take in the word and stop working, building, or moving forward.  God’s word of blessings is a call to continue to move forward.  It is crucial that you continue to pursue those things the Father has placed in your heart.  Continue to pursue the dream or vision God has imparted into you.  Don’t allow the austerity of the economy drive you to close up shop.  Don’t allow fears and doubts to keep you from pursuing your purpose.  Remember nothing is impossible with God.  This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the marvelous creativity that comes from God.  Zechariah tells us, “Let your hands be strong.”  Essentially, he says keep working.

Be courageous.  There are not very many more profound statements in the Bible than, “Fear not.” It is what the Lord repeatedly told Joshua as he stepped into leading the children of Israel.  He told him time and time again fear not; as he outlined the mission, plan, and purpose of Joshua’s life.  He tells it to the children of Israel again through the prophet Zechariah after he reveals his plan to bless them.  You see, when God speaks of blessing you there is almost always an element of fear that tries to attach itself to you. It seems impossible, sometimes even unfathomable.   I remind you, nothing is impossible for God.  God’s will for you is that you receive the word and allow him to make you a blessing to others.  Don’t allow thoughts of fear and doubt to sabotage God’s intention.   If the enemy tries to tell you to give up, delay, or forget about achieving a goal, you can silence him by moving with deliberate determination, being motivated by love, and maintaining discipline.  Be confident in God, trust him completely, and stick to the plan.  Don’t allow anyone to talk you out of God’s promise to you.  This means silencing your own doubts, ignoring the doubting Thomases in your life, and most of all silencing the enemy.  Satan will do anything he can to talk you out of the blessing of God.  You must recognize that God determines to bless out of his holy, righteous character.

Be committed.  Commitment is everything.  Without commitment nothing will ever get accomplished.  If you want to accomplish anything in life you must commit to it. Often we believe ourselves to be committed to something when we are not.  Commitment precipitates action.   Just the other day, I was talking about my desires with someone and she quite pointedly asked me, “So you want to go for it, or are we just talking about it?”  It was right then I realized that the only way to obtain what I wanted would be to commit to a course of action.  Commit to the vision.  Be clear on what you are in pursuit of and be willing to do what is necessary to achieve it. Recognize that commitment looks different for everyone. If you preparing to run a marathon commitment looks like running in the rain when it’s easier to stay in the warm, dry house.  If you are trying to increase your prayer life commitment looks like praying for those who would despitefully use you, your gifts, or skills to gain advantage over you.  If the vision that you are to pursue is to maintain balance and peace at work commitment looks like meeting deadlines, operating in excellence, and helping others.  Commitment to God’s vision for your life can also look like maintaining a proper attitude about all he has given you instead of complaining about what you don’t have.  Finally, I want to remind you that commitment even looks like taking time to laughing and enjoying the life God has blessed you with.  It’s okay to enjoy the journey.  Be committed, but not obsessed.  Life will be far more pleasurable and God will get the glory.

Remember, it is God’s intent to bless you.

Blessings to you!

MC 

Just a word to share that will I pray will guide you to remain faithful to the mission that God has placed in your heart.

he word of the Lord is:  God intends to bless you.   In midst of chaos, down-turned economies, challenges at home and work, and every imaginable test and trial the word of God prevails. He stands ready to bless you. Knowing that it is God’s full intention to bless you, the question is, “Are you ready to step into the blessing?”

Stepping into this new era of blessing requires two things: faith and action.  Don’t simply get hyped on the surface, but go deeper in understanding and application of this word. It will change your heart, your mind, and even the way you do business.   Believing that God intends to bless you in more ways than you can imagine is a good start.  It is the part that requires the activation of your faith.  I know, we’ve heard it all before. In fact, we have been hearing forever that God wants to bless you.  Now is not the time to desensitized to the message.  You must be willing to take him at his word.  Activate your faith.  Does it seem too hard to believe, now?  Then remind yourself that nothing is impossible for God.  Does the thought of God blessing you not really add up?  Then remind yourself that God is faithful, full of compassion, and mercy.  You must activate your faith.  Take your thoughts captive and dismiss negativity, doubts, and fears.  The enemy wants you to disqualify yourself from the message of God, but you must silence all the voices around you and bury the word deep in your heart.   God wants to bless you.  Receive the word in faith and allow the peace, joy, and hope it brings to flood your soul.  Then out of that strength arise and get into action.   God’s intent to bless is factual, but there is more.  It is the personal responsibility that you have.  Remember that God has always said that he blesses obedience. 

 In order to step into this season you must be willing to follow the plan that leads you to the blessing.   Here is where you must couple faith with action.  This is the part that I think separates the proverbial “men from the boys.”  You see, everyone can shout about the proclamation of the Lord and his intent, but few will go on to actually receiving it. Many miss out because once God says he is going to bless, they stop pursuing, take a seat, and wait.  For this season, this is not God’s way. It is the season to continue to work. You must work for righteousness’ sake.   If God says, I will bless the work of your hands; that means your hands must be working.  If God says, I will speak to you in midnight prayer that means you must be praying at midnight.  God is not to be confused with the famous restaurant that taught us we could have it our way.  He is God of creation, the God of Heaven and Earth.  He speaks of his intention and we are compelled as recipients of grace to honor him with our lives. We must always do our part which is never more than what he has done.  Remember, continue to work and pursue the things God has placed in your heart. 

 Today, I challenge you to determine that you will go on and receive the fullness of the blessing.  That you will make the will of God known on earth as it is in heaven.  Before you read any further, settle in your heart that God’s word is for me and I will receive it wholeheartedly.

God intends to bless you.  It’s a fact, yet the truth is some will not enter into this blessing; not because they are excluded by God, but because they will exclude themselves.  He will bless all those who willingly obey him.  Faith and action must be partnered with obedience to the word.  Not just the part you like, but the full gospel.  Honor God with your whole life.  Honor him and worship him with your thoughts, conversation, and action.  Honor him wherever he sends you.  Pursue holiness and live by the standards of God. If you miss the mark, confess that to God and get right back up and march ahead in pursuit of him.  Don’t allow a mistake or two to disqualify you from experiencing what God has planned for you.   Don’t think that because you may have dropped the ball, the game is over.  My friend, God intends to bless you to show the world who he is.  It is a part of his plan.  Recognize that God determines to bless out of his holy, righteous character.  He moves in accordance with his plan. I believe the war fare surrounding this word will be that the enemy would try to have you believe you are not worthy of blessing.  God sees and says differently. You were created by him; he loves you, and has a tremendous plan for your life.  Receive his word for your life and prosper.

God has in store for you a new day, a new season—great change! 

Tomorrow I will share the three things that you should obediently undertake to experience this move of God.

Blessings to you!

MC

2011: Double Anointing– Let the Church Arise!

God intends to bless you beyond anything you can imagine.  In more ways than you’ve even prayed about.  Your life, family, and service will be blessed.  As 2010 comes to a close and you enter 2011, be refreshed and reinspired to passionately pursue His purpose for your life.  You make a difference.  The double anointing is about to show up in undeniable ways in your life.  Tonight celebrate him!

Blessings to you!

MC

Just a few thoughts this morning, before I hit the road…

 You want to live a more satisfying, fulfilling, peaceful, powerful, purpose life?  You must live uncompromisingly according to the Word of God.

Jesus gave his life for the remission of our sins and to prove the validity and power of God’s Word.  God’s word has more power than your will.  It gives more wisdom than your mind could ever conceive.  It is more inspiring than any emotional episodes.  God’s word is powerful and real.  It is given for you. It is to heal you, deliver you, restore you, inspire you, guide you, and the list goes on and on. You must believe it, respect it, and live according to it.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh.  This means he embodied the actual intellect and wisdom of God.  Often it seems people fixate on their emotional thoughts of the man while forgetting to acknowledge his complete nature.   As you grow in faith and understanding, recognize that humanity and divine combined to give us a pure example of how we are to live.  Jesus was completely committed to doing the will of God- understanding, living and obeying the word. We must possess the same mind.   John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Getting closer to God and living an extraordinary life is not some smoke and mirror illusion, nor is it mind over matter.  You cannot think your way closer to him. You cannot experience the powerful effects of his word if you do not believe, understand, or do it.  You must respect, honor, and obey the Word.   Today, hold the Word of God in higher esteem.  Believe it.  Respect it.  Do it.  I know that you will be blessed by it.

Blessings to you!

MC

Guys thanks for an awesome Bible Study discussion last night, I hope that it inspired you to further reflection and growth.   I had a little thought after we left.  I’ll share it here.

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”  Psalm 119:65

Our hearts should be fortified against offense because we prize the WORD above all things.  What this tells you as a believer is that even if/when you are persecuted the TRUTH of GOD’s WORD sustains you and gives you comfort.  It also gives you knowledge accompanied by the wisdom to know what to do and how to conduct yourself.   Do not fall prey to the noise surrounding you, but focus on the life God has imparted to you: a life of peace, power, and love.  Satan wants you to be easily  offended so that he may have access to you and run amok in your life, but you must stand upon the WORD of God  and give no place to the devil.

Today, remember that you are called to greatness. You are God’s greatest asset on Earth.  Resist the temptation to be easily offended.  Place greater value on living the WORD and get set for Kingdom Expansion.

Blessings to you!

MC

Just a few thoughts on clean living…

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

God has a plan for everything and everyone.

Your conversation will either add to or detract from his plan. The tongue can start a fire that changes the course of nature.  Today, keep those things in mind and recognize the power of your words. God wants you to use them to facilitate Kingdom expansion on Earth.  So, before you speak be sure that what you are about to say opens the door for Holy Spirit to move. Do not simply base your conversation on your mind, will, or emotions . Remember, he is faithful to perform all that he has set out to do, and your words are to work in concert with him.