Purpose Without Apology

Guiding Scripture: Proverbs 29:18 - “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.”

• Research shows that while about 60 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year, only about 8 percent of them actually keep them. Now, I’m no goal setting expert, but I suspect that part of the reason for this discrepancy is because having goals is not the same as having a vision.
• Goal (via Merriam-Webster) - something that you are trying to do or achieve
• Vision (via Merriam-Webster) - something that you imagine: a picture that you see in your mind
• Take time to pray and ask God about His vision for your life.
  1. Proverbs 16:3 - “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
• Seek guidance about your vision from mentors and trusted advisors, especially involving major decisions.
  1. Proverbs 15:22 - “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
• Write (or print) your vision plan and review it often.
  1. Habakkuk 2:2 - “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”
• Be flexible and willing to adjust your vision plan when necessary.
  1. Proverbs 19:21 - “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
• 5 categories to include in your vision plan:
  1. Your relationship with God.
  2. Your relationships with family and friends.
  3. Your finances.
  4. Your health.
  5. Your career.

Action Step: Schedule time before the new year to do “vision casting” with your family (or an accountability partner if you’re single). Write (or type) out the vision and submit it to God in prayer, and be willing to make adjustments as the Lord leads.

References:

• "Vacant Vision: See It Before You See It" - Sermon from Michael Todd, Transformation Church

Guiding Scripture: Nehemiah 4:15 - “When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.”

• We’ve already talked about the Book of Nehemiah from a broad, overarching perspective. This time, we’re looking at the role that opposition plays in the events of Nehemiah, and how we can respond when opposition happens in our own lives.
• The enemy opposes us through ridicule (Nehemiah 4:1-3).
  1. Nehemiah responds by:
     • Praying (Nehemiah 4:4-5)
     • Continuing to rebuild (Nehemiah 4:6)
     • Guarding the weakest points of the wall (Nehemiah 4:22-23)
  2. When we face ridicule, we should respond by asking God for help, persistence, and by staying vigilant against attack.
• The enemy opposes us through distraction (Nehemiah 6:1-2).
  1. Nehemiah responds by:
     • Standing firm and staying focused (Nehemiah 6:3-4)
  2. When we face distraction, we should respond by remembering our commitment to the work God has called us to do.
• The enemy opposes us through intimidation (Nehemiah 6:5-7, 6:17-19).
  1. Nehemiah responds by:
     • Praying (Nehemiah 6:9-10, 6:14)
     • Identifying the deception involved (Nehemiah 6:12-13)
     • Again, continuing and completing the work (Nehemiah 6:15)
     • Surrounding himself with people he can trust (Nehemiah 7:2-3)
  2. When we face intimidation, we should respond by taking our concerns to God, using discernment and wisdom, and leaning on trustworthy friends for support.
• Note: The enemy we see is never the actual enemy we’re fighting. Christians don’t fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and although the battles we fight aren’t easy to overcome, God promises to give us the victory if we trust Him (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Action Step: Identify the areas in your life where you may be experiencing spiritual opposition right now. Which strategy is the enemy using, and how have you been responding to the attacks? Pray and ask God for the right response to use in your situation, and thank Him for giving you the victory in advance!

Guiding Scripture: Psalm 89:6-7 - “For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.”

• As believers, we often talk about God in terms of His function in our lives, or to put it another way, what He can do for us. However, as we mature in our faith, it’s important for us to recognize the nature of who God is outside of our personal preferences. What are some of the most important character traits of God, and how do those character traits help us understand Him better? Let’s talk about it today.
• God is holy.
  1. Isaiah 6:1-5 - In these verses, the prophet Isaiah describes a vision of God on his throne, and the central theme here is the overwhelming holiness of God.
  2. God’s holiness makes Him altogether different from us as created beings. We cannot compare to Him; no one can. When we realize this, our natural reaction should be reverence, worship, and repentance (Isaiah 6:5).
  3. The takeaway: Because God is holy and set apart, we won’t always understand what He does or why He does it, and we shouldn’t.
• God is sovereign.
  1. Jeremiah 32:17 - “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
  2. God is “all the alls”---all-knowing (omniscient), all-present (omnipresent), and all-powerful (omnipotent).
  3. The takeaway: Because God is sovereign, we can trust that He is always in control, no matter how challenging our circumstances are.
• God is consistent.
  1. Malachi 3:6 - “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
  2. Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
  3. Numbers 23:19 - “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
  4. The takeaway: Because God is consistent, we know that He will never let us down.
• God is faithful to His Word.
  1. Isaiah 55:11 - “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
  2. The takeaway: Because God is faithful to His Word, we can trust in His promises to us. If we obey, He will always bring them to pass.
• God is good.
  1. Psalm 136:1 - “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
  2. God’s goodness is about more than just the good things He gives us, or the bad things He protects us from. It’s about His love for us and how He shows that love.
  3. God may not always seem good because of the things He allows, but we can trust that He is because His nature is a loving one (1 John 4:16).
  4. The takeaway: Because God is good, I know that everything He does in my life, both good and bad, is for my good (Romans 8:28).

Action Step: Which of the 5 attributes of God is most comforting to you right now? Which one is hardest for you to accept? Do a Bible study of the character trait that most challenges your view of God, searching for Scriptures that justify that trait in Him.

Guiding Scripture: Daniel 6:4 - “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

• The book of Daniel might be one of the most mysterious and intriguing books in  the entire Bible. It’s full of strange and fantastical imagery and prophecies of the future, but it also tells the story of four brave young Hebrew men who chose over and over again to stand for God, even when it was unpopular---and sometimes deadly---to do so. Those of us who live in the safety and freedom of the Western World will find it difficult to truly understand the danger that Daniel and his friends faced. Still, there are important lessons we can learn from their experiences, and that’s what we’ll be talking about today.
• Lesson #1: You can’t eat what the people in Babylon eat.
  1. Daniel 1:8 - “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
• Lesson #2: You need the favor of God in order to be effective.
  1. When Daniel asked for permission not to eat the king’s food, he received favor from the chief official (Daniel 1:9). This made it possible for Daniel to present the terms of the 10-day test regarding his diet.
• Lesson #3: Godly wisdom is critical, especially during moments of crisis.
  1. Daniel could have simply thrown a tantrum and refused to eat the king’s food, but instead, he suggested a test (Daniel 1:12-13) that appealed to the Babylonians’ appreciation for logic and education (Daniel 1:4).
  2. Later, when Nebuchadnezzar gave an order to have all of his advisers killed, the Bible says that Daniel found Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, and “spoke to him with wisdom and tact.” (Daniel 2:14)
• Lesson #4: Pursue excellence with everything you do in Babylon.
  1. Daniel and his friends distinguished themselves from their peers by being exceptional in their work, which led to them receiving even more favor than before (Daniel 1:19-20).
• Lesson #5: Taking a stand for God should give Him glory, not you.
  1. Daniel not only worshipped God privately for answering his prayers (Daniel 2:19-23), but also credited Him publicly at the first opportunity (Daniel 2:27-28).
  2. Not only that, but King Nebuchadnezzar recognized God’s power and sovereignty as well (Daniel 2:47).
  3. You may need to engage in some deep self-reflection to determine whether you’re truly hoping to please God with your actions. If your stand for God causes you to feel self-righteous or superior to others, it’s coming from your flesh, rather than the Spirit.

Action Step: Have you ever had to take a stand for God in a way that wasn’t popular with the people around you? If so, what did you do and say in that situation? If not, ask God for the courage to stand in a way that honors Him if the need arises.

Guiding Scripture: Joshua 1:6 - “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

• In the book of Joshua, God leads the Israelites into the promised land of Canaan, a land “flowing with milk and honey.” As believers, we all have things that represent our own Promised Land, an area where God has made promises to us that He will fulfill in His timing. For some Christians, the Promised Land means being the first person in their family to earn a college degree. For others, it means getting married or having a child after years of infertility. No matter what your Promised Land may be, one thing is certain: it is never smooth sailing. We frequently talk about the challenge of enduring the storms of the Christian life, but we spend far less time talking about the challenges of stewarding God’s promises once He brings them to pass. That’s what today’s episode is all about.
• In your Promised Land, you can expect to receive new instructions from the Lord.
  • Joshua 1:2 - “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.”
• A new level of consecration.
  • Joshua 5:2 - “At that time the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.’ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.”
• New levels of spiritual warfare.
  • Joshua 10:25 - “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.’”
• New temptations (and possibly old ones!).
  • Joshua 7:1 - “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.”
• New victories and blessings from God.
  • Joshua 1:3,5 - “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses... No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Note: When you have a strong relationship with the Lord, He will often warn you about many of these things before they happen so you can prepare ahead of time.

Action Step: Based on the factors outlined in this episode, are you seeing God’s promises manifesting in your life right now? If not, ask Him to speak to you about how He is preparing you for them, and what you can do to partner with Him in the process.

It is my joy, my privilege, and my honor to release a new collaboration with some of my favorite sisters in the Lord: Torrie Slaughter from Our Given Purpose, Casey Alexis from Being Eve, and Stephanie Bright from Christians Girls Pop. In this episode, we're all talking about what it means to "do it anyway." 

When God tells you to take a leap of faith and do what He's calling you to do, you may not always feel like it. You may be afraid that the people around you won't understand. You might even feel like you're not strong enough. But at the end of the day, our love for God and our desire to obey Him has to take priority over everything else, our feelings, our preferences, everything. In this episode, we're discussing what that looks like.

Make sure to follow Torrie Slaughter from Our Given Purpose, Casey Alexis from Being Eve, and Stephanie Bright from Christian Girls Pop on social media, and listen to their podcasts on all major podcasting platforms. 

Guiding Scripture: Isaiah 43:19 - “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

• In 2020, the world had to deal with the whirlwind that was COVID-19. This year (2021), many of us were hoping to find some sense of normalcy again, but so far that hasn’t been easy, because this year has had plenty of challenges of its own. As a result, many of us have had to go back to the basics as it relates to the different areas of our lives. In this episode, I’m talking about how God made me go “back to the basics” this year, and what that might look like for you.
• Key Point: In May of 2020, I released a podcast episode called “The Reset,” (Season 2, Episode 25) which may seem like the same thing as going “back to the basics.” It’s not. Webster’s Dictionary defines a reset as “moving something back to its original place or position.” I’m talking about rebuilding from the foundations and creating something new. In some ways, that’s scarier.
• It’s fitting that my family built a house during this time, because it felt like God was reconstructing my life at the same time.
• 3 Areas Where God Took Me “Back to the Basics”
  • My personality. In this season, God has spent a lot of time reaffirming my identity in Him. If I’m not careful, I tend to be an overachiever who finds my identity in doing, instead of being. (Martha vs Mary) God had to do some course correcting with me in that area because I got out of balance. At the same time, he has been showing me some areas where I still have room for growth.
  • My business. I’ve been in business as a freelance writer and editor for over a decade, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years simply because I didn’t know any better. Recently I invested in a coaching program to help me build a stronger foundation for my business, and it was worth every penny.
  • My relationship with my family. This area is the most personal because it’s still in progress. Without getting into too much detail, I’m learning how to listen more and work on healthier ways to deal with conflict as it relates to my husband and children. 
• Key Point: Rebuilding can often feel discouraging, because it involves God peeling back layers and showing you things that aren’t working, even though you thought they were.

Action Step: Take at least 30 minutes to spend quiet time with God, and ask Him how He wants to remake and rebuild you during this season. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to commit to this process, even when it gets uncomfortable.