#037// Sugar should come with a warning label.

Sugar can be considered to be dangerous "food-like" substance. It's true. Sugar highlights our celebratory meals and holiday tables, but it also permeates our daily diets, and it's the prevalence of the highly processed and concentrated form consumed on this day-to-day basis that is of high concern if our goal is to live long enough and strong enough to be and do all God created us for.

Could you use a break from the sweet stuff? And if so, how would you initiate the break-up? What plan would you follow? And who would your "support team" be as you navigated the emotions and challenges that inevitably come as you detox from sugar?

On this episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast we'll be talking about why we really need to break up with sugar as we explore the four ways that sugar torpedoes health. Then I'll share a proven plan for breaking up with the sweet stuff while resetting your relationship with sugar so you can be "just friends" later on. It's called The Beacon Sugar Detox and we're getting ready to start a round of the program really soon. So if you're feeling like it might be time for you to break up with sugar, I want you to lean in. Grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#036//  So, does God care about what you eat? What do you think? Have you ever wondered what God thinks about your diet? Would his answer matter to you? And why does it matter what he thinks?

These are the questions we're exploring on this episode of Positioned to Prosper podcast. We'll start with what the Bible has to say about the human diet, and we'll explore the wisdom it has to offer around the hows and whens and which kinds of consuming food. We'll consider this --

If we knew the way God intended for us to eat -- to fuel and inform our bodies -- then we'd be able to unlock the wisdom we need to support and steward our health in an excellent way. 

So how do we avoid the pitfalls of the literal hundreds of competing dietary theories that are out there, followed by all the competing opinions that go along with them? How do we confidently choose a way of eating that will help us to live long enough and strong enough to do and be all God created us for?

There are some Biblical principles we can follow that will make this topic a little clearer. So, if you're ready to dig into scripture to see what wisdom we can find as we endeavor to find the answer to the question, "Does God care about what you eat, and why?" then I want you to grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#035// On this episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast, I've got something really special for you. I’m going to be sharing with you the message I preached at the Friday night session of our REVIVE Women’s Conference that just happened this past weekend. It’s called Coming Out in Power and I’ve got to say, this was an extremely powerful session.

You know . . . we can do battle with the devil all day long, we can fight the good fight, but if we don’t ever really come out of the wilderness – if we just make a lifestyle out of slogging it out in the desert with no real hope for something wider, or something better – it can be a very disheartening experience.

And even if we do manage to get out of the wilderness and back into the place of seeing fruit come off of our lives, if we don’t come out in power and if we cannot connect to that power as we enter the fruitful season, we may find ourselves burned out and bitter before we know it. 

No, my friend, the way God designs a desert season, he means for it to equip you and refine you, to bring out the best in you and then he'll bring you out in the power of his spirit, so that you are catapulted into your destiny with acceleration and momentum. So if you’d like to know how that works, you’re gonna want to stick around. Grab your journal and a pen, and lean in as we listen to the message, Coming Out in Power.

#034// Are celebration and rest regular parts of your lifestyle?

I'm not just asking if you agree with celebration and rest as concepts. I'm asking if you regularly incorporate celebration and rest into your daily flow of living, working, creating and producing. When was the last time you intentionally and fully celebrated a win in your world? And when was the last time you took at least 24 hours off to unplug and take a real rest? Let me ask you . . . can you even remember?

On today's episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast, I'm sharing about the importance of celebration and rest as vital components of creativity and productivity because, for most of my adult life, I failed to make room for them, and it showed. My health was a mess and I was exhausted and run down all the time. I could not figure out how I could be working so hard, but not seeing more progress. I was so frustrated.

It wasn't until I had a major health relapse in 2014 and 2015 that I was forced to slow down and take look at the cadence I'd been keeping. Even though I knew the importance of celebration and rest, cerebrally, I wasn't practicing either of these things regularly. But when my digestive system and hormones decided to abruptly take a break, I had no choice but to sit still and consider how to work real celebration and rest into my flow. I'm so glad I did!

Is my story speaking to you today? Are you burned out, broken down and exhausted because you're only cycling through the preparation and productivity phases of creativity while leaving out the celebration and rest for some time "later?" If so, then this is the episode for you, my friend! Are you ready to have a listen? Then grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let’s Go!

#033// Did you know that you have a Sound on your life?

We’ve all got a sound because that’s how God has made us. We’re sound-makers by design. Beacons. Repeaters, really.

But if we don’t realize this piece of our nature – that we’re made to make a sound for the Kingdom – this ability to make a sound can get hijacked, and often does. But here’s the thing, no matter who’s controlling your sound – whether it's submitted to God or to the enemy – it’s going to manifest. It’s going to produce something. 

On today’s episode we’re talking about how to discern what your God-sound is and how to position yourself so that you’re making your sound from that pure source while making sure that your hardware isn’t getting hijacked and the frequency out of heaven for your life isn’t getting jammed by the devil. 

Because what you’re producing with your sound matters. It matters to God, it matters for your life and it matters to the people around you. So if you’re ready to find out the answer to the question – What’s Your Sound? – and how to "hijack-proof" it from the enemy, I want you to grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let’s Go!

#032 // Do you have a Jesus Girl Gang?

Christians have been patterned to think that if we just belong to a church, read our Bible regularly and maybe just listen to a church message or two throughout the week that we're GOOD in terms of transformation, discipleship and growth. But this just isn’t true!

We NEED deep and abiding relationships with people who are willing to walk through the tough stuff with us. We need to be in proximity to solid people of faith, but we also need to be willing to be authentic and appropriately vulnerable with these people while welcoming both the sharpening and the encouragement that comes from these types of transparent and vulnerable relationships.  

Not having a crew like this may be the very reason that transformation seems to be taking so long for you, or why you feel like you’ve been stuck in a pit and no one is hearing your cries for help. Not having a Jesus Girl Gang of your own may even be a big part of the reason why you’re not feeling motivated and hopeful about your purpose or your destiny. You might be thinking it has something to do with the timing being off, God not providing yet or your circumstances just not “lining up,” but it could simply be that you aren’t in any relationships where appropriate amounts of weight, challenge and sharpening are taking place to lead to real transformation and growth.

On this episode of Positioned to Prosper we'll be talking about the What, Why and How of gathering a Jesus Girl Gang of your own. You need this, TRUST me! So, if you’re ready to learn what a Jesus Girl Gang really is (and men, this same sort of stuff applies to a Band of Mighty Men), why you need such a Gang and how to go about positioning yourself to be surrounded by the girls who are going to run with you, then I want you to grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#031// What is real discipleship?

Simply by asking that question, it's probably apparent that I believe there is a counterfeit kind of discipleship. And that, my friend, is the point of today's episode. I want to show you, through the Bible, what real discipleship is, and I’m going to do it by sharing four things that discipleship really isn't -- examples of what I call "counterfeit discipleship." And while we wade through the counterfeit, we’re going to discover the real thing.

Why is it so important to uncover what real discipleship is and how we walk in it? Good question! It's because real discipleship is what drives real transformation in the believer's life. Without real discipleship we can tend to feel stuck, disappointed and even burned out. We don't want that as a Jesus follower, right? So it's imperative that we understand what real discipleship is, how to access it and what we can look forward to when we fully engage in discipleship to see transformation come to our lives in a very powerful way.

Are you ready to discuss? Awesome! Then I want you to grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#030// "What is truth?" In John 18, Pilate asked this very question of Jesus Christ.

Here we are, thousands of years later, asking the same question -- "What is truth?" -- and struggling in our generation to answer, just the same as Pilate did. Jesus -- the living Truth -- was standing right in the room with him, and he still couldn't perceive what real truth was. Devastating, right?

Fast forward to today and we've changed the definition of truth all together to include things like "my truth" and "your truth." It's outrageous! Those things aren't really truth at all. We have a word for those things, and that word is "OPINION."

So...what is real truth, and how do we get back to it? How do we align our thinking, feeling, declaring and choices with it, and how do we deal with the fallout that comes when we decide to stand on and declare truth no matter what? That's what today's episode is all about. So if you're ready to go there, I want you to grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#029//  Are you ready to finally get to your breakthrough?  Today on the podcast we're going to be talking about something I call The Breakthrough Blueprint. This blueprint is made up of four sets of questions, and it's a tool I hand to people whenever I'm helping them to get to breakthrough. Doesn't matter what area of life they are trying to get to breakthrough in . . . it can help in every area. 

I am very passionate about helping people to get to breakthrough and victory. I also love a good step-by-step process, program or guide. The way I'm made, a lot of the processes and steps I teach others came to me as I worked through different areas of breakthrough in my own life. The Breakthrough Blueprint actually came to me in pieces about twelve years ago as I was learning how to walk out of postpartum anxiety with God. 

Over the years, as I've shared the Blueprint with others, I've streamlined the sets of questions into four pillars, and these pillars have supported many people as they walk towards their own breakthroughs. Are you ready to finally get to your breakthrough? Then it's time to listen in to this week's episode of Positioned to Prosper. Grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go! 

#028// Erica is sharing her REVIVE Woman Girls Night Out message entitled "Coming Out: The Door of Favor" on this week's episode!  It's 2021 and the Church has experienced a tremendous wake-up call over the past year. As we look around we're realizing . . . it's time to make a sound for Jesus and the Kingdom in a way that is clearer and sharper than ever before. It's what we're made for!

Something that's become apparent to me as I’ve prayed into this transition is that the Church is coming out. We’re coming out of a slumber. We’re coming out of a wilderness. We’re shaking off the lethargy, finding our voice and getting ready to run. But first, we’ve got to find the exit door from the sleepy season so we can step across the threshold and enter the "make a bold sound" season. And do you know what I've found? The exit door is actually a door called Favor.

In today's episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast I'm sharing a message I just delivered at REVIVE Woman Girls Night Out entitled -- Coming Out: Finding the Door of Favor. This message is all about realizing the wilderness you've been in and finding the exit door God is bringing you to so you can come out of your wilderness in power.