#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.

#027// Do you follow a budget? Do you want to?

Today on the podcast we're talking about the importance of having and following a budget and some ways we can make sure that the budget we create and use is based on Biblical principles and godly wisdom. But let me just say, what that actually looks like might surprise you. Hint: There's risk involved in this brand of budgeting and it's spelled F.A.I.T.H.

I'm going to be giving you step-by-step instructions for how to get started setting up a customized budget and access to various templates and tools you can use to help you get it done quickly and excellently while mastering this skill set. Sounds good, right?

So, if you know that it's time to sit down and craft a budget that is realistic (and that you're really gonna use), grab your journal and a pen . . . Let’s Go!

#026// Are we ready to say NO MORE to this victimhood culture we've got going lately?

In this episode of the Positioned to Prosper podcast, we’re talking about being a victim when it’s long past the expiration date. Oh, yeah, we are SO going there. So right off the bat I want to invite you to pull on your unoffendable pants and sweater, mkay?

This episode should come with a warning, I tell ya. I’m not going to pussyfoot around this stuff because that right there is an actual strategy that the enemy uses to keep you stuck in victim mentality. So I won’t partner. I’m going to shoot you straight today. 

I’m going to tell you what the word of God has to say to people who’ve been victimized – what Jesus himself said to folks who’d been the victim of abuse or a heinous wrong – and I’m not going to bow to what current culture is trying to orchestrate. I don't care if this culture tries to cancel me. Because victim mentality is killing us.

So I will gladly go out front and draw the fire if it means I get to preach the word of God to you and set you free from the lie that is justifying the never-healing wounds of our victimhood. You hear me? Big girl and big boy pants, okay? Unoffendable. Teachable. Sitting real close to the Holy Spirit and asking him to hug us and nudge us – whichever is appropriate – whenever we need it during this session, okay? Do we have a deal? 

So, if you’re ready to get real about how this victimhood lifestyle our culture is pushing is actually killing us, and what to do to get really free and to get your power back, this episode is for you. It's time to grab your journal and a pen . . . Let’s Go!

#025// Have you ever thought about homeschooling your kid?

These days, the public school system environment and the curriculum being taught in its classrooms is becoming increasingly dismissive of the Biblical worldview and is, in many ways, actively working to program your kid into an anti-Kingdom culture. So it's no surprise that there has been an uptick in the number of faith-filled Christians considering homeschooling for their kids. But here's the thing . . .

Most don't think they can do it. Visit any of the thousands of homeschooling groups on Facebook and you'll find tons of discussions around the doubts and concerns parents have as they consider whether they can really bring their kids home and be their primary teacher. So, what are those doubts?

From thinking they don't have the time or that they can't both homeschool their kids and hold down a job at the same time to doubting they actually have the level of experience or skill or knowledge to be able to teach their own kids successfully, parents can start to feel overwhelmed and scared at even just the idea of homeschooling. And then you throw in the notion that maybe their kids won't get appropriate "socialization" (a full-on myth), and it can start to feel like making the move to homeschooling is simply impossible.

But what if I told you it's easier than you think and that a lot of the doubts you might have are actually based on misconceptions? And that the rest of the fears or hurdles can be dealt with if we just take it step by step? Listen, if you've ever thought about homeschooling your kid -- even for a hot second -- I want to encourage you to lean into this episode and let me share some things I've learned after homeschooling my own kids for the last four years. I'm no expert, but I do have some thoughts that might just help to get you past the doubts, fears and hurdles so you can make a solid decision based on what God's plan is for your own family. If you're ready to consider what it might take to homeschool your own kid (and if you really can do it), grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#024// What does it look like to actively parent? What does your gut say that means? And more importantly, what does your Bible say about it?

In the current world we're living in, our children are bombarded on the daily with a particularly humanistic and anti-God worldview, more so than in any other generation before. From the things that are being taught as official "curriculum" in their schools, to what passes as acceptable and even "encouraging" and "kind" in the TV shows and movies they are watching, to the escalating violence found in the video games they are playing, to what is being talked about and offered up as the "norm" in their friend groups, it's a concerning time to be parenting, to put it mildly. It can feel downright scary and overwhelming if we're being really honest.

As a Christian parent, the Bible tells me my first job is to train up my children in the way they should go so when they are old they won't depart from it. God's word also tells me the way to do this best: by telling the stories of what God has done and reminding my children of his commandments and his nature. We are to train our children up in the ways of God. These days that means undoing the training that's being done to them on the daily by all the aforementioned institutions and their authority figures.

How do we actively parent towards godliness and Kingdom values in an environment like this? What's holding us back from being truly present in our kids' lives and telling them the stories and the commands of God on a regular basis? And how do we get back on track? We're having a good old fashioned "Come to Jesus" in this episode of Positioned to Prosper. So if you're ready to get clear on the state of the next generation and how we must align in this season to truly train up our children, grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#023// Are you carrying any amount of consumer debt currently?

Any amount? And any type of personal debt from car loan to a mortgage on your home, a student loan or even an amount due on a past due medical or utility bill. Do you owe any sort of money to anybody for a good or service that you already consumed or used or are currently consuming or using? This is all the kind of debt we're going to be talking about today and I want to make sure our starting point is clear.

Now, how are you feeling about that debt? Does it feel overwhelming at times? Does it make you nervous? Or even scared? Or do you simply feel as though debt is a way of life, something you have to learn to live with or you won't be able to live the kind of life that you need to live? What's your relationship like with debt? And the big question . . . would you like to get FREE?

In today's episode I'm sharing the secret of how to get and stay debt-free for life. The secret is seriously just one key. That’s it. It’s one thing that actually has the potential to sprout and grow in your life and it will have the effect of driving debt out of your life. Are you ready to learn what this is? What this one key secret is? I’m going to share it with you and then I’m going to teach you how to use the key and how to steward the key, so if you're up for a little faith-based financial coaching today, grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!

#022// If the great wealth transfer the Bible talks about was about to do down, would God find you ready -- really ready -- to steward that kind of wealth?

Could God trust you to stay on mission with that kind of cash? Would you feel confident to carry God’s checkbook in this world and to manage those finances well? It’s a big set of questions, right? 

Most of us might say, “Hey, do you think I could just get enough to pay my rent and my car payment and maybe have a family vacay this year?” If that’s the level of our ask, my friend, we’re asking WAY BELOW the level God has for us. We need to know how to steward what God wants to give us and that starts with understanding why he wants to give anybody large amounts of wealth.

Are you ready to find out what really doesn't move the hand of God to provide and what really gets provision flowing from heaven to you and me? Do you want to know how your very own purpose and calling actually serve to drive provision in a certain way? If you are, let's get into it! Grab your journal and a pen, and . . . Let's Go!