A friend of mine was speaking, telling her story of a long marriage with a godly man, four children, several major issues dealing with those children as they became adults, and then watching her husband die of Lou Gehrig’s disease—a long, painful death during which she was the main care giver. Then she told how God has opened a door for her to begin a ministry to widows, and what God is doing in her life now.

Afterward a man came up to her and said, “God has invested a great deal of kingdom equity in you.” Kingdom equity? What was he talking about? It was a new term to her, but he went on to say that God had allowed her to experience many difficult things in her life and had given her many opportunities to learn and grow, and now that God has all these investments in her, she has great resources to use in God’s Kingdom.

God has invested Kingdom Equity in all of his children because our purpose here on this earth is to bring glory to God by doing the good things he prepared in advance for us to do:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NASB).

Before the beginning of time if you are born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, your name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and your days were written in his book before one of them came to be. God has predetermined a list of good works he wants you to do, and he knows what resources and talents and gifts and experiences you will need to do those good works. From the beginning of your days he has been investing in you what you will need to do those good works.

This Kingdom Equity comes in two different forms:

The gifts and abilities and talents and opportunities and education and experiences you have been given that will be needed to do Kingdom work.

The difficulties and hardships and troubles and failures you’ve gone through which have taught you to trust and know God like nothing else can do.

Have you overlooked those investments God has made in you? Or have you wasted them on yourself instead of on the Kingdom?  Or have you failed to recognize them? It is Kingdom Equity, and you will give an account to God as to your stewardship of the investments God has put in you.

Kingdom Equity of Gifts and Abilities

God invests equity in us through our gifts, our talents, our skills, the things we’ve learned, our education, our years of simply living life! For example, a great deal of my experience in the business world was to make presentations. For years I conducted customer service seminars all across the country. I’d go from one city to another, one hotel to another in a given week, go face a different audience every day, and give that same presentation each day with enthusiasm and energy, regardless of how I felt. That experience was planned by God in the “good works” he had for my life. It gave me great experience in being in front of an audience, thinking on my feet, dealing with unexpected interruptions and disruptions.

I have a friend who has begun a ministry to widows in Africa, teaching them how to make things that they can sell to support themselves and their children. They have to use sewing machines—not electric ones because electricity in Africa is scarce and often undependable. She has purchased treadle sewing machines—and guess how she learned to sew as a young girl. On a Singer treadle machine. So, she can teach them how to sew on a treadle machine. That’s Kingdom Equity that God is now using.

What about the skills you’ve acquired through your life? How are you using that Kingdom Equity for God? He didn’t invest that experience, that talent, that gift in you just for your enjoyment. He expects a return on his investment.

Paul wrote to Timothy: “For this reason I remind you to fan into a flame the gift...

A friend of mine was speaking, telling her story of a long marriage with a godly man, four children, several major issues dealing with those children as they became adults, and then watching her husband die of Lou Gehrig’s disease—a...

Transformation through Worship

The other day I was experiencing a mild state of feeling depressed. I felt down and blue—the concerns and unknowns of life just started weighing on me. I am someone who likes control and certainty, and on this particular day of feeling out of control and uncertain, I found myself in a slump and I just could not shake it.

Sometimes in an effort to find relief from feeling out of sorts, I binge on reruns of my favorite show, scroll through Facebook and Instagram or reach for food as comfort. But on this particular day, instead of checking out, I tuned in. I put in my earbuds and started to worship. When I worshiped, everything shifted. My mood transformed.

Did you know that you are wired for worship? God in his glory designed us so that worship literally impacts our brains and our minds....and ultimately, our lives.  Studies have shown, science has proven, that when we worship, God created us so that neurotransmitters such as dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin are released that induce happiness and joy and boost our immune system. God designed us so that when we worship him, we experience decreases in depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. We experience more joy!

We often wait to worship until we feel like it but we are actually wired to worship. Sometimes the last thing we feel like doing when we are frustrated with work or a difficult co-worker, when we are faced with a job loss, a relationship breakdown or an unknown future—oftentimes the last thing we feel like doing is breaking out in praise. Yet when we stop to worship and praise Jesus for his magnificence, when we praise him and thank him for who he is, our lives transform even if our circumstances don’t change, worship changes us. You are wired for worship. Intentionally offering our worship to God strengthens our faith, helps us in life’s challenges, and unlocks the key to joy no matter what your life circumstance.

Set a praise challenge for yourself. Spend ten minutes a day worshiping God. See what happens. Your life will transform and God is worthy!

If you would like to read the entire week’s message, click here to view/download the PDF.

Transformation through Worship The other day I was experiencing a mild state of feeling depressed. I felt down and blue—the concerns and unknowns of life just started weighing on me. I am someone who likes control and certainty, and on...

How Discipline Creates Transformation

Is there an area of your life that you want to change? Maybe it is a relationship that keeps falling into unhealthy patterns, or perhaps something with your job, your finances, your health and physical well-being. Often we want things to change but if we are honest, we do not want to do the hard work, over time, that transformation requires. We want the result but we don’t want the discipline. In a world of instant and quick-fix, we have become accustomed to having things at the push of a button. But transforming areas of our lives requires more than a quick-fix. Think about it, how many times have you started a new diet…. It lasted a day, or two and you wonder…. Why haven’t I lost 10 pounds and gone down 2 pant sizes? Sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud but how many of us have thought that? Or, I want my finances to be transformed so that I am not in debt but we keep our trigger finger on the Amazon Prime button?

The results we are achieving now, in our life, relationships, physical health, finances, etc., are the result of the habits we have created over time. Maybe we say we want a loving and thriving relationship with our spouse but we are in the habit of criticizing them. Perhaps we want to be chosen for a promotion at work but we are in the habit of being late to meetings and missing deadlines. If we want to transform an area of our life, we need to examine the habits that have produced the result we currently have. And be brutally honest with ourselves.

Our habits determine our results and creating different results requires discipline. So choose an area of your life that you are committed to transforming. Write down the habits that have produced the results you currently have. Now, write down the habits that, when practiced consistently over time, will produce the results you say you want. And here is a key. Get clear on WHY you are committed to transforming. When you have a vision, a WHY, you are more likely to stick with your commitment and the discipline required.

In 1 Corinthians 9:27 the Apostle Paul talks about discipline. He says, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.” His why—the reason he is committed to this discipline is so that he can be a credible witness for Jesus. We need a compelling vision that keeps us on track.

Transformation takes commitment, action, follow-through, and perseverance. Choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret. Embrace uncomfortable. Perfect the art of bouncing back if you get off track. Applying discipline over time will result in transformation.

How Discipline Creates Transformation Is there an area of your life that you want to change? Maybe it is a relationship that keeps falling into unhealthy patterns, or perhaps something with your job, your finances, your health and physical well-being....

Renewing our Minds Creates Transformation

Have you ever let your thoughts get the best of you?

If we want to experience transformation we need to mind our minds. You cannot change anything unless you change your thinking. Where our thoughts go, our lives will follow. What we believe determines how we live! And the Bible has a lot to say about our minds and mindsets! So we know it must be important if it is important to God.

Ephesians 4:23: Be made new in the attitude of your mind.

Romans 12:2a: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

As we mature as followers of Jesus we have to develop disciplined thought lives. The first step is to develop awareness of our thoughts so we can start the process of bringing our thoughts into captivity to Christ. Most often we just let our thoughts run wild and we ruminate rather than stop to examine what we are thinking and ask, “Is this thought true? Does this thought align with God’s Word—the truth of who he says he is, what he says about me or how he sees this person or situation?”

What thoughts are we dwelling on? Our thoughts are influenced by what we allow in and focus on. Mind your mind by being aware of what you are putting in it. What music are you listening to, people are you hanging out with, what social media are you scrolling through or Netflix series are you binging on? Are we spending more time dwelling on the things of the world or God’s Word?

As we strive to be aware of our thoughts check in with the emotions you are experiencing. Our emotions are indicators like the check engine light in your car. Your feelings are an indicator to check in with your thoughts. What thought are you dwelling on that keeps you in an unproductive, unhealthy cycle? Our thoughts produce feelings and our feelings produce behaviors.

Over time, when we actively mind our mind and choose which thoughts to dwell on, holding them captive, making them obedient to Christ, our brains will be trained to think on the thoughts that are helpful rather than the ones that are defeating and destructive. We will be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

This is more than positive thinking it is biblical thinking. We see this in the letter Paul the Apostle wrote to the Philippians as he makes this appeal to followers of Jesus. Friends …whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. …...think about such things.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

Try it! Next time you are having a thought that is destructive, depressing or just all around not helpful, choose a new thought that thinks the best not the worst. Redirect your focus and see what happens.

Renewing our Minds Creates Transformation Have you ever let your thoughts get the best of you? If we want to experience transformation we need to mind our minds. You cannot change anything unless you change your thinking. Where our thoughts...

Who We Are Being Creates Transformation

Who are you being? That may sound like a funny question. We don’t often think about or consider that question. We are more accustomed to the question, “what do you do?” Especially when meeting someone for the first time inevitably the question, “what do you do for a living” comes up. We are so accustomed to identifying ourselves by what we do. But what if we were to operate from a different question. Who am I being?

While what we do has significance, God is more concerned with who I am being….how I am showing up in the world, on the job, and in my relationships. Ask yourself the question, “how am I committed to people experiencing me?” For example, if you were to ask me what I do, I would say that I am a coach, leadership trainer, and director of women’s ministry. That is what I do for my work and calling. You might answer that question by saying I am a mom, or a doctor, lawyer, teacher, massage therapist, or customer service representative. That is what you do. But regardless of what you do, who are you committed to being?

The Bible gives us many examples of who we are called to be. And as a woman who loves and follows Jesus, here are a few of those examples:

1 Corinthians 13 we see we are called to be patient and kind. Colossians 4:12 calls us to put on, to BE….. compassionate, kind, humble, forgiving, loving, and thankful. And in Galatians 5:22 we see who we are called to be as we grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit; loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, producing good, faithful, gentle and exhibiting self-control - showing restraint in our thoughts, emotions and actions. Other examples we see in God’s word include being generous, courageous, merciful, humble—the character traits go on and on.While what we do may change throughout the course of our life, who we are called to be, who we are being does not change based on our circumstances. It is who we are regardless of what is happening around us or to us.

So, who are you committed to being? What qualities of Christ-likeness is God calling you to grow in? God is not as concerned with what you do as he is with who you are being and who you are becoming. And the awesome news is that we have the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in us to help us grow. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight the Christlike qualities he wants to produce in you. As you focus on who you are being, see how your life and relationships transform.

Who We Are Being Creates Transformation Who are you being? That may sound like a funny question. We don’t often think about or consider that question. We are more accustomed to the question, “what do you do?” Especially when meeting...