This is a New Beginning…. Not a Do-Over!

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

I would venture to say that most of you will not be able to truly enjoy this week’s podcast, because you are just too busy. The only time you can even take 5 minutes to listen, is while you are driving to work, working, or driving home and for those of you that are not commuting, I’m not sure when you’d have time. But I would like to challenge you to take a few moments to stop what you’re doing….

Close your eyes
Inhale deeply through your nose until you feel it in your core
Hold for a few seconds … Focus your mind on your breath
Exhale through your mouth

Now, Open your Eyes to your New Beginning…

¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10

But this is not “a do-over”. The last two years have taught us that we can live life differently. We can’t turn back the hands of time and start our lives over again, but we can start afresh. It’s a new day! Open your curtains and let the sun in. It’s time to wake up refreshed! Imagine yourself taking a cool shower in a waterfall and you’re drying off with your feet on the warm sands of the beach.

It’s Your New Season! It’s time for us to come out of the valley and go to the top of the mountain and look at all the vastness of what’s ahead. Spring is the time of year when the earth refreshing, renews and restores, and we should do the same.

Now, I know what you are thinking… I have a very vivid imagination and real life just ain’t like that and you are right. BUT, we can’t allow ourselves to simply go back to busy without some thought. At times, we are so very busy, but accomplishing so very little. Maybe this is our opportunity to…

1) REIMAGINE our Vision

2) REFINE our Goals

3) REENERGIZE our Plans

No one can limit us, we limit ourselves. So, what’s standing in our way? What are the mountains that we can’t climb?

⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain…
Isaiah 40:4

Some of you know my testimony, I never dreamed that I’d be able to leave Xerox (no, I’m not telling you to quit your job). I was 55 years old, and a career move at that age… Are you kidding?

But God opened a door…

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
¹⁴Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. ¹⁶Hold firmly to the word of life… Philippian 12b-16a
Philippians 2:12b-16a

But, think about it, if you are listening to this podcast, you are surviving a pandemic, one day at a time. I heard a pastor say, “God will allow a famine, although we will try to pray it away, so that we are forced to move”. He will tell you where to go and you must stay where He puts you and He will provide and prosper you there”. Let’s stop settling for “I’m blessed, I woke up this morning and yes, thank God for that, and will never take that for granted, but God has so much more for us than just to wake up. He wants us to live abundantly and that does not necessarily mean with a lot of stuff. What does “blessed” mean to you? We would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave us a comment.

Now I feel the need to say that you may be living your dream and this episode does not apply to you, then may I ask that you share that joy and encourage someone else to continue to strive to achieve their dream.

Let Today be a New Beginning… not a Do-Over!

It’s time to move forward and be sure to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

We don’t Always get it Right, but…

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

Full disclosure, I’m kind of a perfectionist. I’m sure for those of you that know me, it’s hard to believe. LOL! But seriously, it used to be and sometimes still is, one of my biggest character flaws. Over the years, God has had to teach me what “perfect” really means and I’m still learning. It means that I can pursue excellency, but I should not try to be excellent. That’s His job!

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6

So, I guess you are wondering where I’m going with this… We don’t always get it right, but we are not meant to be perfect. We often find ourselves in a constant mental battle over those small mistakes, ultimately things that we can’t change, even if we wanted to. Now, this does mean that we should justify, defend, or disregard our mistakes, especially those that negatively impact and hurt others. But we should not beat ourselves up for the things that really don’t matter. For instance, when we assume that others are talking about us, when they have not given us any thought at all.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2

We don’t always get it right, but the one opinion that really matters is that of the Holy Spirit, which is why we must always take a quiet moment to listen to what He has to say ….

When the Door Opens

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

Last week, we talked briefly about knocking on doors. So now, I’m somewhat curious as to what doors are we waiting to open? Have you been knocking a long time and the doors just won’t open? For some, it’s time to open the door and for others, the door is open, but you may be a little apprehensive about going through. So, the ultimate question is will we be ready “when the door opens”? As we ponder those questions and I would love for you to share some of your answers in the comments. Now, I realize that many of us are in a place of healing and therefore, your doors may be very different than those that I’m eluding too here. But remember, God’s Word says…

⁷“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 NLT

So, let’s continue from where we were last week, we were knocking and I believe that while we wait, there are a few things that we should consider:

Persistence. You may get tired, but don’t give up. While, we’re waiting for the door to open, we must have a plan. Write the vision and make it plain. Our plan will be in accordance with God’s plan if we seek the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Perseverance. Times may get tough, so keep making progress by pushing forward. No matter our age, we must continue to grow and mature spiritually. Although, we must give God total control, we still must do the work in order to be ready when it open. When God opens the door, we should expect new things. Remember what we read in Isaiah…

¹⁸“But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18 NLT

We shouldn’t look back. This pandemic has motivated us to live life differently, as we continue to navigate into new and unfamiliar territory.

Purpose. When the door opens, walk in with purpose. Don’t be afraid. Everything you need to fulfill your purpose is in you. Our true purpose in life is be blessed to bless others. Now open a door for someone else….

And as we wait for the doors to open,

It’s imperative that we always take a quiet moment,

To listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

Are you Knocking on the Door?

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

We often speak about the Lord opening doors. Our doors of opportunity to thrive and prosper in this life. But my question is: Are you knocking on the door?… or are you just waiting for the door to open? Are you listening for your next assignment or are you avoiding the one that you’ve already been given?

I heard a familiar bible story the other day about when Moses was telling God to call someone else to speak to His people…

¹⁰But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” ¹¹Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” ¹³But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” ¹⁴Then the Lord became angry with Moses.
Exodus 4:10-14a

The pastor reminded me and although I had probably read right by it, that this is the first time in the Bible that “God’s anger was kindled”, because Moses had told Him that he couldn’t do what God had already given him the ability to do. How many times have we “annoyed” the Lord by trying to convince Him that He must has called the wrong person? Are we trying to avoid the door or are we knocking on the door?

Obviously, there are a number of questions that need your answers. Over the past few weeks, we have talked about “Our Story”. We all have one, but more importantly, God have given us a plot, a purpose and a calling that is pervasive throughout our story. The future that we hope for, should be one that has fulfilled the purpose that God has created for us to accomplish. So, are you knocking or are you just waiting for the door to open? If you haven’t already, may I suggest that you move toward the closed door, I believe that the door is motion-sensored. Then try to open the door and if it don’t open, then it t’aint your door.

But don’t stop there, go to the next door and as we go…

⁷“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

While you’re knocking…

Prepare: Have a plan!
Progress: Be ready for new things!
Prosper: Push Forward and Seek the impossible!

Be persistent and keep on knocking …God it’s me again! Knock through the NO’s! Move forward by faith, without an explanation. By the way, if you are still waiting for God’s Big Reveal, I’m here to tell that for whatever, He needs you to do, the ability in already in you, it’s always been in you, which makes it even more important for you to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

Are you Knocking on the Door?

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

I heard a familiar bible story the other day about when Moses was telling God to call someone else to speak to His people…

¹⁰But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” ¹¹Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” ¹³But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” ¹⁴Then the Lord became angry with Moses.
Exodus 4:10-14a

But don’t stop there, go to the next door and as we go…

⁷“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

While you’re knocking…

Prepare: Have a plan!
Progress: Be ready for new things!
Prosper: Push Forward and Seek the impossible!

There’s More to Your Story

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

We need to spend a little more time in Jeremiah 29, because remember, God exiled the good and the bad. So, when you take a moment to look at the chaos of this life and you feel like God has sent you into Babylon, you have to know that “There’s More to Your Story”.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

Now let’s focus on Jeremiah 29:11. The Message translation says it this way, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for”.

The KJV says it this way …¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

No matter the translation, from the moment that we took our first breath, there is nothing in our lives that has caught the Lord by surprise and from this moment forward with every breath we take, we must know that, “There’s More to Our Story”, because we know that God plans to give us….

<> a future and a hope

<> a future that you hope for

<> and an expected end.

In Isaiah (paraphrased), he says, as far as the heaven is from the earth are God’s thoughts from our thoughts and God’s ways from our ways. How He does, what He does will not make sense… but God is Still God.

But we can’t stop there, we must read a little further because there’s more to the story. Let’s take another look at verses 12-14.

¹²In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.

We may not have realized it, but God’s promise comes with an expectation, that we will pray and seek Him, in other words He wants our love and attention. We play a key role in our story. It’s unfortunate that, at times, we don’t want to believe that God has expectations of us, just as we have expectations of Him. I truly believe the He desires that we love Him as much as He loves us. But at times, we make it so complication, He simply wants to hear what on our hearts. Our prayers may sound something like this… “Good Morning Lord! I love you and I am so grateful for everything you do and will do. Please anoint me this day for whatever you have for me to do. In Jesus Name Amen”.

So, although it may look like Babylon and it may even feel like Babylon, there’s not only a miracle after this, there’s a miracle in this, no matter what your “this” looks like right now, because you know that “There’s More to Your Story!”

I pray that you will see Jeremiah 29:11 with a new spiritual perspective. May the eyes of our understanding continue to be enlightened.

The Holy Spirit is always talking, which is why we just need to find those quiet moments to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

“Stick to Your Story”

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

We all have a story, with the good and the not-so-good; the ups and downs; the detours that take us off course and the roadblocks that stop us in our tracks. Although we would rather not acknowledge that God allows the unexpected tragedies, He continues to give us miraculous blessings. So, when He said, “I know the thoughts that I think towards you” … He already knew our story. Yes, He’d already read the book, cover to cover. I believe that many of us are in a chapter of our story that we would rather not be in, but may I suggest that we are just where God needs us to be, because God Knows our story and now, we have to stick to it!

In order to better understand Jeremiah’s story and to put verse 29:11 into context, we must go back to Jeremiah 27:22 NLT, where God said…

“They will all be carried away to Babylon and will stay there until I send for them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back to Jerusalem again.’”

God told Jeremiah to tell ALL the nations of Israel, the good and bad & His decision was non-negotiable. This story reminds me so much of where the world is today. Unfortunately, we have no control on how God chooses to do what He does … but a pandemic though?!?!

Let me ask you a question, “Are there things that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t and now the conditions or disciplines that have come with this worldwide pandemic has caused you to rethink your priorities? I had heard that we used to spend 5 times more time at work that we did at home with family and friends. Not anymore… at least, I hope not. Has time at home been enlightening or frustrating? It’s all about your perspective…

Well, back to the story…. So fast forward to the beginning of chapter 29, where Jeremiah is told to write a letter…

⁴This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ⁵“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. ⁶Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! ⁷And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

As the children of Israel were, so are we today, in a very difficult, extremely uncomfortable situation, but the Lord says, Don’t stop living… Continue to Flourish and Prosper!

God has a very unique and detailed plan for each of us. Many times, God has to strengthen our faith in preparation for what’s ahead, because He knows our Story and we have to Stick to It!

NEXT WEEK… We will talk about His “Expected End” for us!

There’s a LOT more to this story…

In the meantime, Always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

God Has a Plan

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

I don’t about you, but I have soooo many questions right now! We all are looking for answers… We ask God for an explanation and He says “Trust Me”. We often ask Him Why and He says “Just Obey Me”. So, we tell God, this just doesn’t make sense and He says “Walk in your Calling”! To be honest, I often wonder why do I keep praying?

I believe that it’s because there’s something deep inside of us that just won’t let me give up. I was reading a devotional the other morning and it said “He still rolls away the stones to allow us to enter places we never dreamed possible, to go beyond barriers we never thought crossable, and to minister to people we thought unreachable.” I started to tear up when I read those words, knowing that with all the challenges that we face, He continues to Bless us, because God Has a Plan!

One of my favorites, if not my very favorite scripture is Jeremiah 29:11 and it may be yours too. But early in 2020, the Holy Spirit gave me a whole new revelation regarding the content in which that scripture was written. For us to begin to get a better understanding we have to look at verses 10-14.

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

I hadn’t realized that God had sent the children of Israel into captivity…. So, over the next few weeks, I would love to share more of the story with you and get your thoughts and comments.

In the meantime, always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying….

Don’t Assume!

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

I feel like I can breathe again! I must update you on the week of anxiety that I experienced the week before last. As I mentioned, the issue was on instant replay in my mind for the entire week. Ultimately, I realized that I had made an assumption, justified my assumption and drew my own conclusion. Some of you may be able to relate… or maybe not. In the midst of my self-induced mental chaos, the Holy Spirit was trying to direct me to the truth when He said “Set your heart on things above”. But I’m the first to admit that I’m a work in progress. Obviously, I’m an overthinker, but I can allow that to be my excuse to attempt to resolve issues on my own. Here are a few of my lessons learned I continue to learn and I’d like to share with you….

DON’T ASSUME! We can not afford to muttle in the realm of reasoning as we attempt to figure it out on our own. Our minds are not meant to be trusted.
Seek the Truth in every situation. The Truth comes in the form of guidance, direction and instruction from the Holy Spirit. If you are ever unsure if it’s Him speaking, He will always confirm His voice with God’s Word.
Get the Facts! There are specific details that you may need in order to take action, if you are so directed by the Holy Spirit. However, He seldom gives you all the details.

I truly believe that these three simple steps would have saved me a lot of anxiety and worry about something that was ultimately out of my control. Sound familiar? Our thoughts and behaviors can become toxic, IF we let them. They will literally poison our minds and bodies, if we don’t…

It’s ALWAYS extremely important to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying….

Set Your Heart…

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Candy S

If you’d prefer to listen to this blog post, please click the link to our podcast…

I’ve been a tad preoccupied this week. I’m an overthinker and whenever I have an issue, it has a tendency to go into instant replay and it continues to play until I feel that the issue has been resolved. So, it has been difficult this week to focus on the still quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. But although, I wasn’t listening with intent, He found a way to say to me “Set your heart on things above!” I began to see that scripture in various places. So even when we are not listening the Holy Spirit, He is always talking… trying to get our attention. He is trying diligently to convince us that we just need to let Him handle it and trust me, He is capable of doing a much better job than we ever could.

It is so very easy to get distracted with life situations and circumstances that dominate our thoughts or worst yet, we get sucked into Yahoo News or the deep dark hole of YouTube. We have to be constantly reminded to “Set our hearts on things above”!

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ²Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Colossians 3:1-2

Now before I leave you today, I’d like you to think about those that may need a touch… Unfortunately, we may not be able to touch physically, but a simple phone call or text will go a long way. It may be that person that pops into your head that you haven’t spoken to for a while or it may even be that person that gets on that last nerve and remember, this doesn’t just apply to just your sister girls, but your brothers to…

Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place
If you can

(Just try)
Take a little time out of your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who’s lost the way

Order Your Steps

Be Inspired, Encouraged and Empowered to be the Best You you can be…

Tag Archives: Life

This is a New Beginning…. Not a Do-Over!

Let Today be a New Beginning… not a Do-Over!

It’s time to move forward and be sure to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

We don’t Always get it Right, but…

We don’t always get it right, but the one opinion that really matters is that of the Holy Spirit, which is why we must always take a quiet moment to listen to what He has to say ….

When the Door Opens

And as we wait for the doors to open,

It’s imperative that we always take a quiet moment,

To listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

Are you Knocking on the Door?

Are you Knocking on the Door?

There’s More to Your Story

“Stick to Your Story”

In the meantime, Always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

God Has a Plan

In the meantime, always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying….

Don’t Assume!

It’s ALWAYS extremely important to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying….

Set Your Heart…

– AND –

Always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…