Women, What the Hell are You Thinking, Now?
By Cheryl Lacey Donovan
Copyright © 2011 Cheryl Lacey Donovan
ISBN-13: 978-0-9829672-6-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011921628
Publisher’s Note
Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher.
Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein.
Peace In The Storm Publishing, LLC.
P.O. Box 1152
Pocono Summit, PA 18346
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www.PeaceInTheStormPublishing.com
Dedication
Scripture tells us God knows the plans He has for us but many times I hear people ask the question, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” In other words He may know the plans but we don’t.
Not knowing the answer to these questions causes many people to wander around in life aimlessly with no direction, no real focus. But there is a way to identify what you were placed on earth to do. Truthfully, many of us already know but we’ve allowed the enemy to fill us with the spirit of fear and thwart the manifestation of God’s vision in us here on earth. But you can re-kindle the vision. You can rediscover God’s will for your life. How by following a few biblical guidelines that can help point you in the direction of God’s plans for you.
Women What the Hell are You Thinking Now is dedicated to those women who find themselves not knowing. Use this book and the resources that accompany it to discover your divine purpose. Reclaim your dream. Reclaim your destiny. Reclaim your life. It is the will of God for you.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost I acknowledge my savior and redeemer for without Him I would be nothing. It is He who gives me strength to endure, power to persevere, and wisdom to share.
To my family and friends thank you for your continued undying support.
To the Peace in the Storm family we’ve come to far to turn back now.
May God continue to richly bless you all.
Praise for
Women, What the Hell are
You Thinking Now?
Cheryl, you speak with authority, wisdom, and experience. Your book is certain to breathe life into those who feel beaten down by circumstances. Your strong yet loving words will draw women of all ages and stages to the power and peace that only our Risen Lord can provide. He has spoken through you. Thank you for being an obedient messenger. In Christ's love and warmth,
~Jory H. Fisher, JD, www.WomenFindPurpose.com
Cheryl Lacey Donovan has a powerful voice with her ministry of words. Donovan has crafted Women, What the Hell are You Thinking Now? with the academic spirit of a theologian, yet she gracefully manifests the information with a gentleness only a virtuous woman can render. Much more than a quick read, Women, What the Hell are You Thinking Now? is an experience and the beginnings of a powerful lifestyle for any woman open to learn the fullness of her Christian potential in the eyes of God. With this book, Donovan gives you the tools to recycle the harsh inadequacies of your past into a glorious future for the Kingdom, your family, your friends...and YOU.
~Joey Pinkney, Author and Book Reviewer
Introduction
Webster’s defines ‘virtuous’ as conformity to a standard of right. Most of us have heard of the “Virtuous Woman” found in Proverbs Chapter 31. She’s the pinnacle of Christian womanhood. She’s upright, strong, courageous, wise, and kind. She’s every woman’s model of what a woman should be. She’s faithful and industrious and she fears God. She’s strong and able to endure. She knows when it’s time to watch, when it’s time to fight, and when it’s time to pray. Her self-esteem is high because she knows that she’s a child of the King and that she’s more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. She believes no weapon formed against her will prosper and God can make her enemies her footstool even in the most trying of circumstances. A virtuous woman would never allow a man to rob her of her dignity or her virtue by sleeping around, acquiescing to domestic violence, or sleeping with him when he’s married. A virtuous woman would know these things are not of God because they demean her self-worth and tear down her communication with the Almighty. A virtuous woman would also be wise enough to know that after everything she’s done, her God is a forgiving God and He’s faithful to His Word.
Women are more than sugar and spice and everything nice. They are fearfully and wonderfully made by God and we women need to learn how to align our view of ourselves with God's view of us. Far too often we allow the situations in our lives to consume us and tear us down. But, this isn’t the will of God for our lives. God’s plans for us are always good and we need to review those plans and incorporate them into our daily living. If you're not satisfied with where you are in life, then it's time to for you to develop a new way of thinking that lines up with God's will.
Now that we know who we are and whose we are let’s be real. Women, what in the hell are you thinking; and I do mean hell, because the situations we allow ourselves to be placed in are straight from the pit of hell designed by the enemy himself to take us out. They’re planned by the powers and principalities of Satan to undermine the order of God and the woman’s divine position in that order.
The Bible is full of strong, righteous, courageous, God fearing, women: Esther, who put her life on the line for her people, Deborah who was a fearless leader, and Hannah who prayed for what she wanted and received favor from God. These were women who were faced with issues of life; twists and turns that could’ve surely taken them off course and yet they found a way to seek God’s face and persevere.
Being the backbones of their families we see even in Proverbs 31:13- 27, the Bible speaks of the important roles women play in the lives of their families. They’re the caretakers of their homes speaking with wisdom, they set about their work vigorously and their arms are strong for their tasks; yet, many of us suffer with low self-esteem, broken hearts, wounded souls and dead spirits. We don’t live in the glory of our divine placement. We personify an outward appearance of happiness, while living in pure hell on the inside. To the naked eye we seem joyful, courageous and in control while on the inside we’re scared little girls wishing somebody, anybody, would rescue us. We need to take our lives back. God wants to restore us. He wants to reconstruct what’s been broken down. What looks like trash in your life can be recycled and bring about reformation and restoration. You’ve gone through the devastation of divorce, disease, loss of friends, family and finances. You’re looking at what’s left after using external solutions to fix internal chaos and you think it’s all over. Instead of getting to the root of the problem you just prune the outside branches. Leading to our detriment too often we engage in continuous patterns of over eating, indulging in chemical fixes – alcohol, drugs, smoking, over working, using our career to identify who we are, rescuing people, being a savior, expecting too little, putting up walls, emotional distancing, people pleasing. Ultimately, we suffer from controlling behavior, distrust, perfectionism, intimacy problems. Or even worse, we form ungodly attachments to people or mindsets of un- forgiveness, bitterness, and malice.
Women what in hell are you thinking now? As long as you allow these things to control your life, you’ll be stuck in a never-ending pit that will engulf you and never release you unless you come to realize you are daughters of the King, daughters of the Most High God. It’s time to get rid of the clutter. Don’t be consumed by fear. It’s not of God. Man doesn’t have a heaven or hell to send you to, so walking in a place of people pleasing can only hinder you from receiving what God has for you. As long as you keep allowing the same difficulties to consume you your life will be crowded, confused, disordered and full of junk. Don’t be conformed to this world but transform yourself by the renewing of your mind. Get rid of negative self- talk and negative self-images that keep playing themselves over and over in your head. Align yourself with God’s Word and see the amazing transformation that can take place in your life. No, this doesn’t mean that every day will be rosy, but your outlook and your perspective, even in the center of tumultuous times, will be joyous because you know that God is still in control in the midst of it all. As long as you trust in Him all things will work together for good.
Trying to push you down, life will cause you to face disappointments and setbacks. Reminiscing on past failure will cloud your mind deceiving you into falsely believing you haven’t been or can't be forgiven for past transgressions. Trusting God seems impossible because you still believe He’s forgotten about you in the quagmire of your troubles. The issues of life; bad news concerning your health, a relationship that went south, -unemployment – all of these are setbacks. Discouragement, loss of enthusiasm, temptation to settle where you are all things that keep drawing your focus away from the things of God and places it squarely on the things that weigh you down. But if you're going to see the best out of life, you have to have a "bounce-back" mentality. Knocked down, you don't stay down. You get back up again. You don’t get bitter, you get better. You have to know that every time hardship comes, your setback is a setup for a comeback!
Your spirit may be trying to get you to commit suicide. But in these pages, I speak life to your spirit and remind you that God has deposited too much in you for you to die. It’s time for you to make a withdrawal. Psalm 118:17says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” Do the work God has ordained for you to do. Be about your Father’s business!
Pity parties, depression, soaking yourself in the cares of this world, blaming everyone else for your problems, none of this will get you any closer to the life God has planned for you. The kingdom is waiting for you to position yourself for the greatness God has in store. Days and days of sitting and pondering on what you’re going through are over. Cast your cares upon God, knowing that he cares for you. I Peter 5:7. Everything happens, everything exists, and everything was created to give God glory. Even your struggles are an opportunity for God to get the glory.
Weeping endures for a night but JOY comes in the morning. There’s a plan and destiny that God has for you. Chief Architect of your life, He’s building you up to be all He’s purposed you to be.
God is revealing the glory through your suffering, through your pain, through your bondage situation. He’s establishing you in the midst of what you’re going through. Push through to your destiny!
You are pregnant with purpose, pregnant with greatness. Allow the baby to be born. Don’t permit the enemy to abort your vision. God has deposited something great on the inside of you and it’s time for your delivery! Let the weak say I’m strong and the poor say I’m rich; Rich with the power of the Spirit, Rich with the Word of God, Rich with health, Rich with strength and courage. Take authority over the enemy and declare dominion over everything God has for you. Reclaim your purpose, reclaim your hopes, reclaim your destiny, and reclaim your dreams!
God has a big life for you, one that has peace, joy, and wholeness. His plan includes love and value, purpose and fulfillment, provision and supply. Whatever has caused you to be broken, the areas in your life that aren’t working or are ineffective, the areas where you feel powerless, doing nothing and going nowhere, God wants to put them back together again! But you can’t get to the upper level when you’re stuck on the ground floor.
The pages that follow will speak to the inner recesses of your soul and cause you to really look at yourself in a way that perhaps you’ve never done before. This introspection will force you to stand up and take notice of the woman that God has called you to be and to never again allow Satan to trick you into the behaviors of the past. Even if you aren’t where you want to be right now, don’t despair. God isn’t through with you yet. You are a unique woman with a unique plan designed by God just for you. Women What in the Hell are You Thinking Now uses life lessons and biblical principles that will inspire you to walk in the life God has ordained for you. I pray that this book will help you to become whole in your mind, your body, and your spirit.
What are You Thinking?
So as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. Proverbs 23:7.
The enemy loves to put thoughts into our minds and if we’re not careful, those thoughts produce strongholds that become feelings which land us into bondage all because we listened to the devil more than we listened to our God! Your soul is the primary point at which the enemy deposits words that are in direct opposition to what God says. It's within your soul that your mind, will and emotions reside. The enemy's goal is to infect your mind so your decisions will ultimately reflect in your actions by moving you in the wrong direction. If continuing in the truth of what God says about natural conditions and circumstances will make you free, then continuing in the lies the devil tells you about them will keep you bound. Lies are the weapons of mass destruction the devil uses to threaten and intimidate you. They're the prison bars he uses to lock you up in sin, sickness, sorrow and lack—all the things from which Jesus has set you free! When sickness attacks us, the devil lies to us and says, “This sickness is just your cross to bear. God wants to use it to teach you something.” When we encounter financial needs, the devil lies and says, “You're never going to find a better job, poverty is just God's way of keeping you humble.” When we're in trouble and need deliverance, the devil lies to us and says, “God won't help you out of this situation because it's your own fault. God wants to teach you a lesson.” The devil will keep telling you these lies over and over again until they become part of your reality. But the truth of God's Word proves it's all a deception. It tells us plainly that Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Without interruption, our minds are consistently infiltrated with two voices that are speaking. Satan tempts us daily by applying pressure to our thinking patterns that if allowed to continue will explode in a mess too large to contain. He skillfully and manipulatively plants seeds of suggestion that root themselves and grow into manifested temptation either through things we enjoy or through things we've walked away from.
Years after I went through my pregnancy as a teen and experienced the abuse of domestic violence, I would replay the negative messages of the past repetitively in my mind. In the process, I questioned my own sense of judgment and my ability to overcome. “How could I be so stupid? How could I stay as long as I did? How could I not see who he really was? I could be so much further along if I had just listened.”
Satan wanted me to be reminded of how woefully inadequate I really was. He said, “You’re broken and defeated you’re a failure, you're a disappointment.” But Jesus, through God's Word, told me that if I turned to Him, I’d be forgiven and my past forgotten: Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."
I was faced with a choice: I could either listen to Satan's lie that I was a failure and a disappointment, or I could listen to God's Word telling me my past was washed away and I was a new creature in Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
I chose to listen to God’s voice and allowed it to crowd out the voice of the enemy. I chose to walk in the knowledge that my battle wasn't carnal, It wasn't against the people and the circumstances in my life, It was the enemy operating through those people and circumstances to get me isolated and drawn away from my destiny. Listening to the enemy had only brought me heartache. It left me disillusioned, confused, and troubled. Nothing in my life to this point was headed in the right direction because I had chosen not to listen to the precepts and examples that had been set before me in the Word. I was on a road, a crossroad. If I didn’t choose the right path this time I would end up in oblivion. Thinking good thoughts wasn't enough to turn my life around. I had to ward off Satan's temptation and stop it from progressing by casting down its attempts with God's Word. In other words, it's easy to say, “Satan, I rebuke you,” but you need a little more than that to ward off his attacks. You need to be able to speak a Word from God specific to your situation because He's already promised His Word will not return to Him void. Ministering angels are waiting to hear those words and assist you in your battle against the evil one, but you have to take the authority given you and use it.
The strongholds in our lives are built on the foundation created by the lies of the enemy. But when we feast on the truth in God's Word, it tears down the strongholds and makes it harder for the enemy's voice to penetrate the walls of our thoughts. Opposing thoughts should never be allowed to take root in our minds. If we allow them to grow like weeds in a garden of roses, they will eventually choke the life out of us.
Listening to Satan's decrees that I was a failure would’ve continued to feed that lie, until it grew into strongholds of poverty, reliance on government assistance, low self-esteem, and decreased confidence in my ability to move forward in my purpose. My feelings would’ve been a direct result of my thoughts, ultimately concluding in a self-fulfilling prophecy. But listening to my Father in heaven , who was speaking truth to me through His Word, I began to tear down the strongholds in my life and rebuild a future based on wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Those messages from society that kept playing ever so relentlessly in my head telling me I would be on welfare, living in government housing with children who wouldn’t graduate high school or worse; who would be in prison the rest of their lives, crumbled under the weight of the Word of God . When I meditated on the truth in God's Word, it became part of me, and before long, I began feeling different, simply because I was exchanging lies of the devil for the truth in God's Word. I believed my sins were forgiven and I allowed my conscience to be cleansed from dead works by the blood of Jesus: Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
I refused to end up feeling like a loser... guilt-ridden by my past. I turned a deaf ear to the simple voice of condemnation from the enemy. Satan’s network of evil spirits wants to interject thoughts into your mind that remind you of your mistakes, missteps, misfortune and missed opportunities. Don’t listen to his voice and agree with it. You may have sinned, even failed. But I challenge you to look at the solution which is repentance and the blood of Jesus. Don't continue to listen to the enemy who keeps reminding you of your shortcomings, because once a stronghold or incorrect thinking pattern based on lies and formed in deception has captured your thoughts, you’ll start believing the deception instead of believing the truth of God's Word, which tells you that you’ve been forgiven and washed clean, and that even God, Himself, has chosen to forget your dirty past!
You're a child of God who's washed clean in the blood of Jesus. You're not unworthy, guilty or a loser. Believe it because whatever you keep your mind on will affect your whole being. Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
Women what are you thinking? Because whatever you’re thinking will become magnified in your eyes and in your life. Whatever you give heed to, will become more important to you than anything else. Guard your mind because it doesn't take much to open your eyes and see why so many Christians are living defeated lives and walk around guilt-ridden, lacking the joy of the Lord in their lives. Without that joy, where is their strength supposed to come from? After all, as Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, "For the joy of the Lord is your strength."
That's why the enemy tries to get your mind and thoughts derailed off the truth. He tries to get you to worry about things that in reality, you have no reason to be worried about! Are you having a problem with sin? That's been dealt with in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In plain English, it doesn't matter what you've done, if you're willing to take it before the Lord, you can be forgiven! Is your money looking funny? God supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory and He is the one who gives you the ability to get wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18, "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day." Are you sick in your body? Then by His stripes you are healed. God has given His promises for every area of your life. It's up to you to know those promises and stand on them when the enemy comes to capture your mind.
The biggest difference between a victorious believer and a defeated believer is the very thoughts that go through their mind. Demon spirits can, and do, play a big role in depression and fear. Many times all they have to do is get our thoughts off track. When that happens, because of our ignorance of the truth, we begin to become fearful and depressed.
Fear and depression are often at the primary basis of the spiritual warfare tactic used by evil spirits. Saul was tormented by evil spirits who caused fear and depression to sweep over him. 1 Samuel 16:14, "Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Is depression part of God’s plan for you? No! He wants you to be joyful! Should fear dictate our path? No! He wants us to rest in His love, which expels all fear! We have not been given a spirit of fear again to bondage, but of power and love and a sound mind! His Word in 2 Timothy 1:7 is evidence of that. Can worry and anxiety bring about a change on our lives? No! His Word tells us not to worry about anything! Philippians 4:6-8 paints the picture quite well between thoughts and feelings, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I am a witness that refusing to worry about anything opens the door to God's peace in our lives. People often say to me, “Why are you always smiling? Why does it seem like nothing ever goes wrong in your life?” It’s because I choose to set my mind on good and positive things that uplift me and build me up.
Isaiah 26:3 makes a vital connection between what we fix our minds on, and how we feel, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
Do you think God is in heaven worried about anything? If He isn't worried about it, why should we worry about it? Hasn’t he said we are His children; joint heirs with Christ?
Here’s what we should be thinking about: Colossians 3:2, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." To set your affection on something in the Greek means to exercise the mind. Instead of concentrating on negative things and worrying about things we can’t change, let's begin to do as God's Word says and meditate in our minds on positive things that encourage, inspire, and enrich us. Instead of looking at the problems in our lives; sin, poverty, and sickness; let's begin looking at the solutions; forgiveness, blessings, and healing. We can find all this and more in Jesus!
Take inventory of the thoughts that have recently entered your mind. What kind of thoughts were they; negative- problem focused, dealing with the cares of this world? Have they mostly been thoughts that tear you down and keep your eyes on the problem? Or were they positive thoughts that have built you up? How much time have you been spending thinking about the goodness of God and how God is your healer, deliverer, and provider?
Stop looking at the problems in your life, and begin looking at the solutions that God has provided for you as His child! Get your mind off the problem and on to the solution! If it's a healing you need, then begin to research the scriptures to learn what God's Word has to say about healing. If it's finances you need, then begin to research the Word and see what it has to say about your finances and God's provision for you. Seek God's Word on the matter. For Jesus said that whosoever shall you seek, you shall find Matthew 7:7. Notice that Jesus didn't say "Sit there and think about the problem and the solution will come on its own."
As I began to claim my mind back from the enemy, he didn't want to give it up. I had to battle against the confusion he wrought with the weapons of my warfare; prayer, praise, and scripture. I began to declare out loud that no one, and nothing, would think for me. I started thinking about what I was thinking about so I could discern the lies of the enemy that had been planted there to take me off course. As I identified his lies, I confessed the truth out loud. As my spirit became healthier, I experienced more peace and more joy. My nights became more restful, and the ability to concentrate and comprehend became more attainable.
You're in a battle, yet you're not alone. The enemy doesn’t want to relinquish his hold on your mind so it will be difficult to win. But you have to remember to call on God’s grace in the Name of Jesus, and He will give you the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome. Regaining your mind is a process, but don't give up. Continue claiming what belongs to you; your mind and your thinking.
Women what are you thinking?
What’s in your house?
What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Ungodly alliances, ungodly attachments, ungodly mindsets, ungodly thoughts; what lives in your house? Life's most complicated issues are often a direct reflection of what we allow to live in our temple; our house. Friends and relations who mean us no good, negative self-talk, and attitudes that stop us before we even get started, all clutter our existence with mindsets of unclean thoughts, convoluted ideas, and clouded vision.
Believers understand, and perhaps accept, they are forgiven; yet we are not whole. We don’t walk in the anointing or live the abundant lives Jesus died for because we’re fragmented spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Our identity is distorted because we have no clue as to who we really are. We don’t look at ourselves as daughters of the King, children of the Most High God. Defenseless, because we don’t have the faith to believe everything works out for our good. We run like scared little children into the darkness that encompasses our souls. Not knowing why we’re here pushes us into feelings of not being accepted and disillusionment about our purpose. We wander around in a fog, trying to fit in, only to find we’ve traveled further away from our true destination.
The walls of our temple, our house, have been pummeled by the issues of life. The foundation is cracked and faulty because boundaries have been crossed and we’ve allowed the enemy into our camp through bad relationships, poor choices, and misguided steps. We’ve given him permission to invade our territory and mess up our house. The trash has piled up producing a heap of unwanted debris crowding out all the valuables we’ve stored on the inside. Threatening our ability to be more Christ like, more like the women God intended. Doubt, fear, lust, resentment and jealousy, shaped by traumatic experiences of divorce, death, years of abuse, bankruptcy, rape and other tragedies of life, have left us with pain we can’t describe; a purpose in peril. Hoarding disappointment, bitterness, anger and self-defeat we find ourselves unable to dig our way out. Longing for God’s presence, we seek His promises only to be left on the side of the road feeling passed by.
Your position has been compromised and your power is lost. But I stopped here to tell you all things; even the bad, work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes. It’s time to clean out the clutter; time to get rid of the confusion, the disorder, the chaos. It’s time to rebuild the wall and kick the enemy out of your house as you build a clear line of defense against the adversary and your flesh.
I never thought anything good could come out of being physically abused by a man. I never thought anything good could come out of being pregnant at the age of sixteen. I asked the same question the people asked about Jesus when they said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
“God, I said, can anything good come out of my pain?” Can anything good come out of my disappointment?” The answer is a resounding, yes!
The enemy's desire, the enemy’s plan, yes he has plans for us too, was to keep me from experiencing all God had for me. He wanted to keep me wallowing in the pit of my despair, with no hope and no reason to expect breakthrough. He wanted me to give in to the agony and the hurt I was feeling, so he could get my eyes off Jesus, and onto me and my issues. He wanted me to look away from what God was doing long enough that I would never experience the fullness of joy that God intended for me. He wanted my mind to be filled with my problems, instead of God's promises. Nevertheless, I realized everything I’d been through didn’t destroy me! I was still here and God was calling me to something greater. The enemy couldn’t keep destiny down in my life as long as I didn’t allow him to control my thoughts and emotions. I stopped cursing my crisis because it was part of my ultimate destiny.
Clear the clutter from your house and discern God’s true will for your life. There’s purpose in the pain. Stop taking matters in your own hands just because you can only see as far as your present. Remember, God can see into your future. God’s purpose will prevail if you let it. Don’t be your own worst enemy. Don't stand in your own way.
Aligning ourselves with God helps us fulfill our need for meaning; our need for purpose. Stop playing with the poison in your life and instead breakthrough with force from the bondage that’s held you captive. Whatever restricted you in the past is being removed as you change your way of thinking and walk in the destiny God has prepared for you. Clear your house of spiritual clutter, issues, mindsets, past history, and habits that have held you shackled to the chains of hopelessness. Separate yourself from ungodly attachments and soul ties hindering you from escape. Stop allowing guilt and shame to keep you in relationships and situations that are chipping away your house walls and adding to the debris. Stop being a rescuer unless you’re rescuing yourself, because you’re only healing the symptoms when what you really need is to get to the root of the disease. Continuously providing us with lessons, life has a way of turning those lessons into problems. Problems become crisis, and crisis becomes chaos. Our only out is learning the lesson and purposely creating the life we desire. The power belongs to us and was given to us by the Almighty God. But too often we wait on Him to fix problems we can fix ourselves by making better choices and decisions.
God has given us the power to get wealth. He has given us everything we need to prosper. His desire is not that we perish, but that we live life more abundantly. Believe in what God has for you. Lay aside every weight and hindrance to your future. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. He will direct your path. Clean house!
In the Eye of the Beholder
Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10.
In this particular proverb, Solomon asks a poignant question. As you consider this, I’d like each of you to picture in your mind a virtuous woman. Just take about 60 seconds to do so. Now, how many of you pictured yourself?