We have made it to the final episode of Season 4! Thank you for continuing on this journey with That Settles It.

What I have observed recently, and more frequently, is the number of people who have some knowledge of God, but they don’t know what their relationship status is with God. They don’t know where they stand with Him. That’s scary! Especially for someone like myself (a Believer), who has had an opportunity to be in their presence and to share the Gospel; because we can’t believe for you – You must believe. “Do YOU Believe?” 

If you’re not sure, maybe because you’ve seen some things that look weird; or maybe you once were, but for whatever reason you sort of stepped away from the faith, this Message is for YOU! 

“For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).”

Society has misled people to believe that God is like a genie or a vending machine and you can go to Him when you need Him and then you can just put Him back on the shelf when you’re done. That’s not how it works. We need Him every second – every minute – every day of our lives. 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

There is one way - If anyone has tried to convince you of anything else – that is not the Gospel!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). 

Today, people believe more in the miracles, signs and wonders than they do in the God of the miracles, signs, and wonders; but it is written:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:17-18).”

If you want this to be your lifestyle, you have to believe. “Do YOU Believe?”

Even if you’re not sure. Even if things don’t make sense to you, ask God: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!”

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Recite this short prayer to receive Salvation:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I confess that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. I want to trust and follow You for the rest of my life. Come in Jesus. Save me and I know that I will be saved. I accept You into my life as my Lord and Savior. Father, teach me Your ways. In Jesus name. Amen.”

If you made this confession and you believe it, you are now saved. Find a good bible-based church and get connected. Find a Bible that you can understand when you read it and trust God to do the rest.

Now, “Do YOU Believe?”

My prayer is that salvation comes to your entire household – that you, your children, and your children’s children might be saved.

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

This is not to discourage anyone; but the hope is to encourage those who have a desire to help others: Please MAKE SURE YOU ARE HEALED FIRST! We’ve had enough people bleeding on others because they have not been healed themselves. They are trying to anesthetize their hurt and pain by trying to help others. They want to help others, but not for all the right reasons. They are trying to use the spotlight and the attention to build themselves up, to boost their self-esteem and self-confidence. They haven’t received the help or the healing that they are trying to provide to others. So, Before You Pick Up the Mic – Heal!

I understand that a part of the healing process encourages you to find purpose and meaning; because we are all created with a purpose. So, finding your purpose is a great thing; but you have to also make sure that you are equipped. Just like we study and learn things for our jobs, careers, and businesses; we must employ the same practices when it comes to helping people. After all, these are people’s lives that we’re talking about; and you don’t want to deal haphazardly with them.

People can tell when you’re not healed. They can sense the insecurities and the poor self-esteem being masked behind your attempts at life coaching, ministry, pastoring, helps, and etc. You overreact. You’re easily triggered. Especially with social media, there will be trolls and if you try to retaliate or “clap back,” your message will lose its efficacy because those watching will question, “Which one is the coach and which one is the fool.” That’s why it is imperative that you heal – so that you are the light – so that you don’t succumb to the darkness.

Those who haven’t properly healed have a tendency to walk in unforgiveness. When they start talking it comes across in the way they speak. People can hear and sense the bitterness. Also, if you have a poor track record with bad relationships, that is an indication that you may not be totally healed. You can’t coach others on relationships if you don’t have any (not even one). Please Note: Being called to a time of separation is not the same as offending and alienating everyone who comes into your life.

What happens when you don’t receive the support or interaction from others as you’d hoped, Will you quit? Will you begin to doubt yourself? Will you feel defeated and think that this is no longer your purpose? These are all reasons why it is so important that you heal first.

It is possible to have been hurt – and heal – and become a great resource in helping others to heal. You can still be effective. You can still be used. You are NOT damaged goods. But, Before You Pick Up The Mic, make sure you are healed. When you are healed you are more equipped to help others heal; because you’ve done the work. You’ve been through the process. You speak from a space of love and you extend more grace and patience to those who are where you once were. You don’t speak from a place of judgment and condemnation (especially if you are in ministry). Your message will not come across as one from a place of trauma and despair. But, instead you will show up as an Overcomer.

Sometimes we don’t even have to speak, our lives become an encouragement and a testimony within itself.

We are Living Epistles (2 Corinthians 3:2).

We are the lamp upon a hill; a city that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

Men will see your good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16).

Do Good – Be the Good – That will have people asking you for help and guidance.

“Before You Pick Up The Mic…HEAL!”

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It.

In this final episode of this series, we are going to talk about something that many people don’t like to talk about – and will try to avoid it at all costs – and that is Being Prepared for Unfortunate Circumstances. The thing about Unfortunate/Unforeseen Circumstances is they don’t discriminate based on age/race/religion/gender/socioeconomic status - no one is exempt. And yes, while we believe, pray, and hope for the best, it is wise to be prepared for the worst (just in case).

If we didn’t learn anything else from the past two years, the one thing we should have learned is that things can change dramatically and rapidly – without much warning. So, let’s Be Ready.

In this episode, we will discuss Being Ready for Financial Crisis, Illness, and Death.

So, you’re working, you have a great job with great pay and then BOOM! Out of nowhere, you lose your job. What do you do while you seek new employment? Same thing if you are a business owner; what do you do if your business takes a big economic loss? Are You Prepared?

Here are some things you should do NOW to prepare for financial crisis.

Be Ready For Financial Crisis

·         Multiple Streams of Income (Side Hustles, Investments, Part-time Job, and etc.)

·         Save! Save! Save! (and Save Some More!)

·         Look for ways to reduce expenses

·         Live below your means

·         Emergency Fund (in addition to your savings)

·         Budget – and backup budget (leaves out things you can cut back on or do without if necessary)

·         Take stock of your assets (what do you have)

·         Get rid of debt NOW

·         Keep cash on hand in case of emergency

·         Insurance

Now, here’s a hard one. What do you do if you or a loved one becomes extremely ill, or even worst, passes away? Will you and your family Be Ready? I know it may sound morbid, but this is probably one of the most important conversations you should have with the people you love. Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it;” because what if it is sudden and unexpected? What if you or a loved one is incapacitated and unable to make these important decisions? So, why not do it now?

Here are some things you should do NOW to prepare for illness/death.

Be Ready For Illness/Death

·         Say everything you need and want to say

·         Say, “I love you” often

·         Spend as much time as you can together – create great family memories (leaving no room for regrets)

·         Discuss family assets – Insurance (Health and Life)

The ants have no chief, no boss, no manager — no one has to tell them what to do. You’ll see them working and toiling all summer long, stockpiling their food in preparation for winter. So, wake up, sleepyhead. How long will you lie there? When will you wake up and get out of bed? If you keep nodding off and thinking, “I’ll do it later,” or say to yourself, “I’ll just sit back awhile and take it easy,” just watch how the future unfolds! By making excuses you’ll learn what it means to go without. Poverty will pounce on you like a bandit and move in as your roommate for life (Proverbs 6:7-11 TPT).

Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready

~For Unfortunate Circumstances~

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It.

I hope you are enjoying this series entitled, “Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready.” We kicked it off with “Be Ready for Your Dream Job.” Then we talked about “Be Ready for that Great Business Opportunity.” In this episode we will discuss “Be Ready For Love.”

If you are desiring love, please know that YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE. 

Here are some of the things we can do now to Prepare for Love:

Self-Awareness – Are you self-aware? How can you expect someone else to give you what you need/want when you don’t know what you need/want? Identify your strengths and weaknesses; your likes and dislikes; your beliefs; your boundaries. This way you can properly articulate these things to the people who come into your life. Take the guesswork out of it.

HEALING – If you have ever experienced any type of hurt, disappointment, rejection, failed relationship, and etc., it is imperative that you heal first – before trying to start a new relationship. Remember the old saying, “Hurt people hurt people?” It’s true. I don’t think most people intentionally try to hurt others. I believe they never took the time to heal, and they enter another relationship “bleeding” on someone who had nothing to do with their past hurts and pains. How does that look? They push people away and their defense is, “I’m protecting myself.” Nope, that’s not it. They have actually convinced themselves that they are the victim – when the real issue is they never properly healed – and these are some of the residual effects. Please heal and begin your journey to being made WHOLE.

Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 TPT).

Do some introspection and ask yourself these questions about you? Where do you fall in this blueprint? 

The worst thing you can do is have someone to come into your life who’s ready to love you, but you’re not ready.

“Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready – For Love.”

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

In our first episode of this series, we talked about “Be Ready For Your Dream Job” (https://thatsettlesit.wordpress.com/blog/). In this episode, we are going to discuss steps to make sure you are ready when That Great Business Opportunity presents itself.

If Warren Buffet or Jeff Bezos came to you today, wanting to invest in your business, and they asked for your business plan, or your business structure, or even your business bank account info, would you be ready? Remember, “Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready.”

Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).

Here are the steps needed to start your business. Please note that many of these items on this list don’t cost any money to get started. What’s required is YOU doing the work. So, let’s get busy. Here we go…

After you have come up with a great business idea (so, that’s the first step):

Research – Who is your target market? Where is the greatest need for your product or service? How will you get it to the people cost-efficiently? 

Business Name – This should be something catchy and memorable.

Business Plan – This is basically your strategy for your business that highlights its goals and plans for achieving them.  

Business Structure – Decide if your business will be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, S corporation, or limited liability company (LLC). 

EIN – This is your business tax ID number. You can apply for free at irs.gov. 

Business Bank Account – This may require a small deposit to get started, but do your research so you will know what you need to get it started, and which bank will work best for your business needs.  

Business Funding – How will you fund your business? How much do you need to fund your business? How can you contribute to seeding your own business?

Website – Social media is great, but you also need a website. You can get a free website from host sites such as Wix, Weebly, and WordPress.

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty (Proverbs 21:5 NLT).

The worst thing you can do is be presented with a great business opportunity and then blow it by trying to throw something together at the last minute and not give your best presentation, simply because you weren’t ready. 

“Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready - For That Great Business Opportunity” 

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

I have a declaration that I make often and it is this:

“Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready”

I know it’s not proper English, but it’s imperative to Be Ready – at all times.

“Get ready; be prepared! A long time from now you will be called into action (Ezekiel 38:7-8).”

The worst thing is to be presented with an opportunity of a lifetime and not be prepared. Don’t let this happen to you. 

In this first episode of this series, we will share how to Be Ready for your Dream Job. 

Steps to Prepare for Your Dream Job:

Self – Evaluation – what skills do you have and what skills do you need for your dream job? 

Don’t Be Deterred by Lack of Experience – volunteer, work a part-time job, seek an internship to gain the experience you need for your dream job.

Elevator Pitch – Do you have an elevator pitch? Is it polished? Are you ready to sell it at any given moment when opportunity strikes?

Updated Resume – Is your resume current/updated? If not, let’s get it done. 

Interview Skills – Are you confident in your interview skills? Are you prepared for a video interview? What about a panel interview? If not, get some friends and practice on Zoom. 

DON’T GIVE UP! - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9). 

Visit my website www.thatsettlesit.us and watch my video on “Polish Your Pitch.” Send us an email to get a quote on an updated resume.

“Don’t Be Getting Ready; Be Ready – Stay Ready”

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

A friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17). 

If you have people in your life who have proven to be friends indeed, hold on to them. Show your appreciation for them and thank them often because true friends are rare and hard to find. 

Our first three episodes talked about people who come under the guise of friends, but who have impure motives. In this episode, we will talk about ways to recognize real friends. 

Characteristics of Real Friends:

~Real friends show up when it matters.

~Real friends are dependable.

~Real friends are supportive.

~Real friends applaud your success.

~Real friends offer reciprocity.

~Real friends tell the truth – even when it hurts – even if it may bruise your ego. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Proverbs 27:6). 

Real friends are Willing to Fight: for you; with you; and for the friendship.

Let’s make sure that we are showing ourselves friendly and that we are True Friends Indeed. Let’s steward our real friendships well.

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

Think about real life Storm Chasers – these are people who literally chase down storms. While everyone else is running from the storm, they run to it. They want to witness the path of destruction and calamity up close and personal.

How many of you have Storm Chasers in your life? They show up front and center when you go through storms of life. You very rarely hear from them or see them during your victories – but they hasten to witness your storms (difficult times/trials).

They hate that you are winning. That you are enduring. That you refuse to quit! These are the people who pray for and hope for your downfall. They know the hell you’ve been through and they hate that you won’t stay down – you keep getting back up.

But guess what happens after a storm? – THE SUN (SON) SHINES! You are More than a Conqueror so you will always get back up.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 TLB). 

It’s good they are front and center because God says “He prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies (Psalm 23:5).” But, don’t be like them - offer them some. Your kindness will heap coals of fire upon their heads. Let God deal with them – vengeance is His (Romans 12:19-20).

THERE WILL BE GLORY AFTER THIS!!! 

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

Beware of those people who are sent (by the enemy) as a distraction – to get you off course. Their sole purpose is to make you lose focus and ultimately quit. This is especially true if you are doing/building anything for the Kingdom of God. 

Remember Sanballat and Tobiah in the Book of Nehemiah in the Bible (Chapter 4)? They were angry that Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall and their weapon of choice was to mock him and try to distract him.

Message: Watch out for those people who always have something negative to say about the work you’re doing. Be like Nehemiah – he was so focused that he didn’t have time to entertain them and their tactics – he was focused on finishing what he started. 

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves (Nehemiah 4:7-9 NLT).

Tips for Overcoming Distractions:

~Stay Focused

~Pray

~Be Prepared to Fight for Your Work

~Keep Building 

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It. 

Happy New Year 2022 

Welcome to Season 4 of the That Settles It Podcast

We are starting a new series entitled: “Who Sent You?”  In this episode we will tackle Motives.
https://youtu.be/NCEk20yudyg (Video version available on my YouTube Channel)

Watch out for the people who may have hidden agendas. They may have a business, ministry, or organization and they really want your gifts, but they could care less about your presence. These people are manipulative and deceptive. They want to benefit from your gifts, time, energy, and/or money.

You will know because there is no reciprocity. The relationship is one-sided. Beware!

You may already know someone like this. You may have to just ask: “Who sent you?” What are you hoping to gain? 

They may be looking to capitalize on you – and not to build a real friendship.

Be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove (Matthew 10:16). Pray and ask God to give you the discernment – you may already sense it. Ask God for Wisdom. Guard your heart and be prepared for what may be revealed to you. 

Steps You Can Take to Protect Yourself:

~Pray/Discern

~Have the difficult conversation – speak the truth in love

~Set and maintain firm boundaries

Remember, If God Said It, Then That Settles It.