Shop Category: Spiritual Growth

When it comes to managing resources, you must use wisdom.

God supplies everything you need.  God provides resources to accomplish His will in His time according to His plan.  His plan is always set for increase and success, even when it includes tearing down and demolishing.  (but that’s another lesson)

Yet, sometimes, you might wonder if your efforts are really making a difference.  This simple verse touches expectation management and shows where you can observe a return on your investment.

When you instruct the wise, he will become more discerning, and teaching the just man improves his understanding.

God gives clear insight to celebrate the small gains.

The wise one got a little wiser.  The just one obtained a little more light.

This is progress and a good use of godly wisdom and resources.

Every endeavor and every encounter will not be a notable as healing the man with the withered hand.  Still, every act of grace is just as miraculous and life-changing if it leads to greater revelation and true intimacy with God.

Here is such a profound revelation.  Wisdom gives a return on investment.  For the receiver, the gain is a better life.  The impartation and instruction of wisdom will enhance the quality of your life because it increases your understanding and respect for how to live before God.  For the instructor, the gain is encouragement that you’re on the right track.    You must learn to see the fruit spirit-led work produces, and you will grow in grace and the confidence that God orders the steps of a righteous man.

Beloved, be encouraged in your life and purpose.  Celebrate the small victories.  Rejoice and be glad, for this is the day the Lord has made.

Don’t worry about correcting everyone. Don’t even try to.

Here’s a simple time and lifesaver. I’ve shared it for years with my family and my clients.

Everybody isn’t going to like you. Accept it, and move on. Don’t worry about it.

Know that you are loved, appreciated, and accepted by God.

Proverbs 9:8 says, do not try to correct someone who doesn’t like you. Beloved, please heed the word. You will save time, energy, tears, pain, and conversations with your pastor and everyone else if you follow the instructions. I know you believe you can win them over. Here’s a little news flash. They belong to God–not you. God has a plan for them. You must continue to be cordial. You must continue to be helpful. You must continue to operate in love. You must continue to pray for them, but your efforts to reprove, correct, and instruct should be geared toward those who love okay like you–they can receive from you, and it will go well for you and the Kingdom. They will love you.

The one who is not too fond of you will not listen and may even be offended by your rebuke and cause more of a problem for you. Remember, do not cast your pearls… Think of it this way: don’t let your desire to be helpful overrule the word God has spoken on the matter. He reigns.

That’s all I’ve got for today.

Blessings to you.

Pastor MC

Respect matters.

Reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This means a healthy view of God must govern your heart. A healthy view of His love. A healthy view of His judgment. A healthy view of His blessing. A healthy view of His wrath. (I think you get it.)

You must understand that the same God that declares, “I will bless in your obedience.” He is the same God who declares, “I will curse you for disobedience.” And that he speaks this to the church. As a person of faith, you are not immune to God’s negative or corrective dealings.

In fact, the choices you make dictate the response that comes to you because they reveal the actual condition of the heart. You must not lose hope, knowing that he always has a plan for restoration declaring, “I will revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Yet, a complementary aspect to the start of wisdom is an understanding of the holy. The other part of the statement means that understanding what it means to belong to God and live for him is a mark of wisdom. To continue to live a life void of sanctification or being set apart is an affront to the holiness of God.

So, if you put them together, you find that reverence for God and respect for a godly life are the beginning of wisdom. Beloved, don’t be deceived by a lot of talk or hype. The power of God is real, pure, and without compromise. Living a life dedicated to God is the freest and most powerful life you will live, and it is by no means boring — don’t let religion taint you– remember God made the world and everything that dwells therein.

Changing your mind should not be mistaken as a sign of transformation – men always do that.

True transformation, as Paul urges believers to in Romans 12, speaks to the profound inner change that brings about a change in your thinking, speaking, and action. It changes your worldview, and this change is only brought about by the Spirit of God moving upon a humbly yielded and obedient vessel. The revelation of truth to the inner man silences all questions, arguments, and discussions.

Transformational change does not result from the emotional experiences related to temporary aspects of situations but from the reality of God’s truth. The illuminated truth establishes the standard for your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Truth becomes your master, not your emotions. God is truth.

Transformation becomes an activity of the spirit where the revealed spiritual truth must affect your mind, will, and emotions so completely that you cannot think and behave as those around you (the world).

But Beloved, there is a deep inner work only the Holy Spirit can do that enriches the quality of your thought life because he reveals truth and sets its foundation upon it.

It becomes the foundation and the cornerstone of what you believe. The anchor of your faith. The hope of your obedience and the hope that guides your decision-making.

How do you put it into practice? Lay your life before the Word as you learn it. Live it. Don’t go back. Don’t waver. Stay the course.

As you do, things will look and feel different. Sometimes, your thoughts and actions will stand in opposition to the current culture. You will have peace in the middle of chaos. You may be prompted to pray for your favorite athlete or coach. You might even be led to eat and gain strength when others are declaring war on “carbs, sugar, gluten, wheat, butter, or the common enemy of the day,” but no matter what it looks like, your actions will always lead you closer to God, an understanding of his will, his word, and his love for you.

You may perceive things as different, but God is working in you an authentic faith that is more valuable than any material possession. He is building up faith to stand in the face of opposition, fear, rejection, and pain. Faith that has confidence in the person, work, and character of Christ, not just the blessings that you’ve known in hindsight.

Beloved, you are so valuable to God. Today, he wants you to come to him as you are. He desires a recommitment of trust in his word. He wants you to trust him every day in all things.

You must set your heart, soul, mind, and strength upon that and cancel all other options. You must believe his word more than you believe the current culture.

Faith demands that you live differently because belief in God is not based on the world’s values, systems, or principles of the world.

God is faithful.

You can trust his word. When you do, you will find that your life begins to prove – openly reveal that his will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

May your life be bolstered and fueled by the change that comes from authentic Holy Spirit-led and accomplished transformation.

Blessings to you,

Pastor MC

Hey Beloved,

If you’ve ever said, “That’s Just How I Am,” then you know that context matters.  Sometimes it’s good—other times, not so much.  The reality, Beloved, is that God uniquely designed a life of wholeness, success, and fulfillment for you, and because words have power, that statement can disrupt a connection.

So mark your calendar, set your alarm, register now, and be sure not to miss this three-day session that will get you out of frustration and disarray and on the road to more wholeness, success, and fulfillment.  #mikaelacade #yourgrowuppastor #beextraordinary #faithcoach #purpose #propheticinsight #emerge #SoCal #LALife #transformation  http://mikaelacade.info/ThatsJustHowIAM

Standing in front of a replica of St. Marks Square at the Palazzo, I remembered all my visits to Venezia, savoring risotto Tartufo and the trials and triumphs of ministry work while living in Itay.

From the leadership training shenanigans to 4 a.m. intercessory prayer to conferences in Germany to learning the impeccable timing of the German train schedule, it was a fascinating season of growth and learning.

As the thoughts ran through my mind, I whispered a simple prayer of gratitude, “God, I thank you for every opportunity and experience you have given me– I am grateful.”
Before I could say amen, I heard, “Where do you see me?
I responded. “You are everywhere.”
I heard, “Yes.”

Then the scenes, events, people, and places replayed in my mind.
This time there was a more profound sense of reverence as I considered the divine lessons and points of growth that came from the revelation of truth.

Looking up at the Vegas sky, it became abundantly clear that our memories have divine value. More than merely rehearsing the events of the past to stir up emotion, we must recollect our awareness of God’s presence, power, and work in those moments.

We must manage our emotions and pay attention to the truth of the situations. It is important to note that your honest memory may not be the truth.

The power of the memory is not even whether something was good or bad, but that GOD was is and is to come. God is eternal.

Your memories honor the Lord by creating confidence in him and respect for the life he has given you.

Our memories can be the accelerant to the fire needed to fuel our next season, but many times they are selective and tied to emotions triggering good or bad feelings, which may lead to a change in attitudes and actions.

Consider this; God never wanted man to rely on the knowledge of good and evil, aka good or bad. The plan has always been for man to trust and follow HIM, knowing He sees the bigger picture.

Life is comprised of situations, circumstances, issues, and events. These things are common to man. It is your faith that makes you uncommon. Therefore, your experience of a very common situation should be different.

Your response should be different. The difference is not because you’ve been told it should be so, and now you move in your strength and will to appear different. The difference is that you know the truth in that moment, situation, or circumstance.

God encourages us to remember things, but when he does, he wants us to identify the truth. The truth is more potent than your candid recollection. The truth is essential to your freedom. God is truth, and we must recognize that in our quest to remember something, we should not look to still up feelings of nostalgia but to recall the lessons, victories, defeats, failures, and successes of the situation. Even if the memory begins to touch a place of pain, you must learn to feel the feeling while surrendering to the TRUTH of the situation.

The truth will transform your life and your experience of life, while your emotions can destroy it.

God has a purpose and plans for your memories, and it’s not to send you to a place of euphoria or despair.

He wants to remind you of the truth associated with a situation to reignite or reconfirm your purpose. It is a unique gift to inspire hope as you remember his faithfulness and ability. He was with you then, and he is with you now. He does not leave. He wants you to live an extraordinary life confirmed in your identity, confident in your purpose, and free in your expression and experience of love and joy.

So, your challenge today is to ask yourself the following questions.
Do I know the truth of that memory? Did I walk away from the experience with what God intended? If you cannot say yes with such certainty, clarity, and the evidence that the truth revealed has now become an intrinsic part of your life, then you must pursue him with even greater tenacity because he is always there, and there is more for you. Pray for wisdom and understanding.

Blessings to you,

MC

If you want help getting clarity, setting the path forward, or moving to the next level, consider coaching with Mikaela Cade.

Some see this verse as an indictment on the activities of those whose journey doesn’t look right to them, but I see a reminder of the importance of seeking the Lord in all things.

Since it’s possible to follow a path that meets all personal criteria for what’s right and good and yet still falls short of the Lord’s plan, we must commit to seeking him through the every step of the journey. (Destruction is too great a price to pay for self-reliance.)

It’s important to remember that God’s plans are good and lead to life. They guide to an incredible life of freedom, peace, and joy. His plan recovers you, restores you, realigns you, and re-ignites you, and it does the same for those you’re called to serve.

The challenge here is that many times, we receive a little insight from God, and our minds quickly formulate a plan. We choose what seems logical and right to us. It pleases us. It makes sense. It seems right. We run.

However, The success of Gods plan does not hinge on your ability to rationalize or justify it.  There may be points along the way that Gods plan calls for something other than what you planned.  Consider that Jesus seemingly took his time going to help Lazarus, but declared he was following the will of the Father.  How many times has someone asked you for help and you jumped right into action without seeking God?   I’m not saying don’t be helpful, I’m saying check-in with God.

God needs your agreement to trust and obey him, not to endorse his plans.  That means every piece doesn’t have to make perfect sense to you. Now, don’t get spooky here and think that God’s moves are always mysterious and unexplainable. That thought can be just as hazardous to your life. You must realize faith believes in one who promises more than the promise itself. Therefore faith causes you to stay connected to the promise giver in all situations. Better still, through the entire situation. There is no plan that God gives that doesn’t lead you back to him over and over again. It’s how his plan works. You need him. If God gives you the plan and you don’t need or want to hear from him, You may be operating in your own strength or wisdom. A position that may seem okay but void of eternal value.

So, as you endeavor to live your purpose, stay connected to the one who knows the plan. Trust him to know what’s best and to lead you to it. Beloved, don’t fret about the next step, but sincerely do the day’s work and enjoy the life he gives. Let your heart be filled with love and gratitude as you do his will. Knowing that God alone is responsible for the results.

He loves you and wants to use you. Let him lead you to an extraordinary life.

With the 2023 #disneyprincesshalfmarathon weekend in the books, people always ask how or why I do it. I always tell them I love running.

It’s hard sometimes but always inspiring. Sometimes the course feels effortless, and sometimes one mile feels like an eternity, but no matter what, I am confident that God is there and we will finish the course. Then I encourage them, as I encourage you today, to find and live your passions.

Run if you love it; if not, that’s okay. Find your passion and commit to it. God created us to love different things so that we can reach the whole world. So, whether you run, walk, dance, sew, or sing, allow the Holy Spirit to lead your activity and trust that he has plans for your passions. God is concerned about everything that concerns you. There is a race set for you that includes all things that bring you joy and peace. Run YOUR RACE with joy that you might obtain the prize. Live your extraordinary life. After logging another 19.3 miles, I am persuaded that God created you to be a FINISHER.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 1 Cor 9:24

#mikaelacade #GodsPlan #BeExtraordinary #rundisney #princesshalfmarathon #churchgirlsrun #waltdisneyworld #prophetic #ThursdayThoughts