Living Outside of Your Comfort Zone

            As I have written before, we are a people resistant to change. We rarely see it as something good. Or if we do look forward to change, we find some way to worry about all of the pieces out of our control. Some changes bring us sadness, make us frustrated, and some cause us to worry. Some change may even confuse us to no end. However, all of these feelings are temporary. ALL change has a purpose. Whether we planned for the change to happen or not, it will be used. Whether it was the initial path God wanted for us or not, He will still use it if we are ultimately living our lives for HIM. Every season of our lives, every change, has its purpose. ALL changes ultimately bring us growth. 

            The kind of change I want to talk about today is the kind that pushes us out of our comfort zones. Sometimes we get so comfortable where we are in our relationships with Christ or how we are serving Him, that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We start to merely go through the motions and we come to a standstill. 

            As followers of Christ, we should be striving to become more Christ-like every day. We should be seeking out God’s will in every aspect of our lives. However, when we reach that standstill, this becomes much harder. A standstill prevents us from truly doing God’s will. A standstill can hold us back from reaching our God potential and can also prevent us from sharing the word of God with others.

            God has a plan for all of His children. He has blessed us all with gifts and talents that we can tap into in order to bring Him glory. When we hit a standstill, we may forget about those gifts we have or we are unable to truly tap into those gifts and talents. This is why it is important to push ourselves out of our comfort zones. Push ourselves to go above and beyond where we are. If we want to grow spiritually and become more Christ-like, we have to experience change that makes us “uncomfortable”. Change will not always be something we want or like. However, that unwanted change can ultimately bring us growth by pushing us out of our realm of comfort. 

            God has always pushed His children out of their comfort zones. In Genesis 12, God commanded Abram to leave Harran at the age of 75. I can only imagine how Abram felt; to be pushed out of the comfort of his country at such an age. In Exodus 6, God pushed Moses to be a leader to people who did not want to listen to Moses. Moses questions whether he is a good speaker and capable of leading others. However, God chose Moses for the job and knew Moses would grow into the leader that was needed.  

            This past Monday we celebrated the life of an amazing man of God who lived his life out of his comfort zone in order to bring equality to the people of this county. He knew change needed to happen and lived each day uncomfortably. Martin Luther King Junior knew in order to live out God’s will, he could not go through the motions.

            Stepping out of our comfort zones will lead to so many amazing things. Imagine the plan God has for you. Are you putting His plan on hold by remaining in a place of comfort? Think about your relationship with Jesus and how you are serving Him. Do you feel like you are just going through the motions sometimes? If so, make today the day you step away from being comfortable.

~Cassandra Whitworth

Remain Steadfast in Change

            When you ask God for change to happen in your life that is according to His will, there is no doubt He will make it happen! However, opening up your life to change can be difficult. God will open up doors and it will seem almost impossible to go through them. For every step towards that door, there will be three things trying to push you backwards. 

            Unfortunately, doing the Will of God is no cake walk. The enemy is always going to be working against you – especially as you pursue God’s will more in your life. That is why it is so important to remain steadfast. No matter how hard the enemy works against you, you must remember that God is so much Greater. You must trust in the Lord completely. Trust that He will continue to lead you to and through the doors that will lead to His will and your heart’s desires.

            When experiencing change in our lives, we should ask God to “renew a steadfast spirit within [us]” (Psalm 51:12b). A steadfast spirit will help keep us focused on God and our purpose. We will remain focused on the positive instead of the enemy working against us. This does not mean all of those previous obstacles disappear. A steadfast spirit simply keeps you strong in God, and keeps your heart and mind at peace. 

            Sometimes those obstacles may push us into very difficult situations. We may feel like nothing is going right and things are falling apart. We may not get the support we need from those around us – they may even doubt the changes we are encountering. We may only be able to notice all of the doors that are closing around us. HOWEVER, if God does not want us focused on certain doors, He will allow them to be closed. As those doors close, it guides us to the door of change we should be walking through. The enemy will do anything to keep us distracted, but God will always lead us into a light of clarity when we choose to live our lives for Him. Focusing on the closed doors will only bring more frustration when entering our season of change. Scripture tells us:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 15:58

“And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” - Galatians 6:9

            God promises that our “labor will not be in vain” and that “in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”. These verses tell us that as long as we are steadfast and do not lose heart, we will reach a season that will be gratifying. We must remain fixed on the Lord and we must not become discouraged. No matter how much goes awry along the way, we must remember that God will remain beside us. We can trust that He will not lead us to a door that we cannot go through. 

            January’s posts have been about speaking God’s will for our lives into existence and letting it manifest into change that leads us to our heart’s desires. Think about the changes happening in your life right now. Think about the changes that will be happening very soon. Embrace them. Continue speaking God’s will into your life and remain steadfast in the change He will bring. It may be a crazy journey, but our work for the Lord is never in vain. Do not lose heart and remain…

~Cassandra Whitworth

Let Your Change Begin!

In last week’s blog, Your Year of Greatness, Bobby Williams III wrote about the amazing plans God has for our lives. God has incredible plans for each and every one of us. We just have to take that and embrace it. We have to take charge and begin speaking God’s will for our lives into existence.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10

When you speak God’s will, you are taking the first step in allowing God to have control of the path you take. You may not know how you will get to that place, but you do know that God is in control and will lead the way. He has equipped us all with specific skills and gifts that will take us to the place He wants us to be. This year is about embracing those gifts, talents, and skills He has given us. Embrace them and “Speak YOUR own prosperity into existence.”

We serve a mighty God who is capable of anything and everything. A God that can and will give us our heart’s desires (Psalm 37:4). However, God will not just give us those desires at the snap of a finger. God will open doors for us and present us with opportunities to have those desires and to live out that prosperity. It is up to us to take advantage of those opportunities.

So often we ask God for something, or we begin speaking our prosperity and desires into existence. God begins to open doors for us to obtain those things, but we choose to not walk through the door. We are a people who are naturally resistant to change. We are hesitant to put all of our trust in God and make change happen. 

We cannot ask God for a new car, a house, a career, friendships, or anything else and just expect to get it right away because we are children of God. Yes, we should pray for the things we want, our heart’s desires. Yes, we should be speaking them into existence. But we also need to be prepared to take additional steps. We need to knock on doors and allow God to open the doors He wants us to go through to obtain that prosperity.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:19

While this year is about speaking your prosperity into existence, it is also about taking those words and allowing them to manifest through opportunities God presents you with. Prosperity will only come with change. Make this year THE year for CHANGE. Allow God to open doors and take you to the places your heart desires!

~Cassandra Whitworth

Your Year of Greatness!

2014 is here! With a whole new year ahead of you, it is time to start declaring the things that make the great life God has called you to live. The things God has already promised since before you were born. These mighty and powerful promises have already been spoken over your life, it is you who must reach out and declare these things.

A few weeks back I spoke this out.."Speak YOUR own prosperity into existence. God will then manifest His Glory into the positive that you speak.. Watch change happen!"

Understand this: When you realize the mighty promises God has spoken over your life, you then have the ineffable opportunity to see those things come to pass. Your prosperity in life is waiting for you. Sure, at times it may seem like it's hiding or lost, but like grace, the greatness in your life is standing at your doorstep waiting for you to claim it. Speaking it into existence is one of the steps to see change happen.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Because God has already promised this to you, when you finally make the decision to declare it, there is a spiritual manifestation that occurs. A manifestation that brings what you spoke into reality. Speaking great into your life activates that exact greatness to move within your world. It is your time to stand and affirm the mighty year you are about to live.
God is such a magnificent being! From grace to a great life, it is truly an honor to be given these gifts that we do not deserve. Be sure to always keep in the forefront of your mind the reason "Why". That reason being Jesus. His gift of grace should always stand at the center piece of all that we do. Showing Him glory and praise by taking what we have received from Him and giving all that we can right back. Form your life into a reflection of Who Jesus is.

This year, is your year. Start declaring now that 2014 will be nothing but great for you. God has wonderful things in store for you in the year of 2014. You better get ready! God is going rain down some mighty blessing over you.

"God has AT LEAST 7 blessings for you this week.. And that's not counting the abundant amount coming your way while you read this."

"Do great! Be great! Because you are great!"

~Bobby Williams III (Sheauxtime)

Live With a Thankful Heart

Our attitudes have everything to do with how happy we are with life. We can stare at a situation and try to see every negative thing about it, or we can find the good. We can choose to let life situations get under our skin, or we can choose to give it to God and grow from the situation. 

When we choose to hold on to situations, it opens the door for bitterness, anger, and sadness. We will complain and be unhappy. We become petty; only focusing on the situation and all the strife it is bringing into our lives. This negativity has a potential of seeping into every part of our lives. It will dwell in our hearts and consume us if we let it. 

Instead of letting the enemy use this to keep us from God, it is important to let go of the situation. Maybe you are going through something currently: a work issue, family problems, etc. Or maybe you are holding onto something that has happened long ago, but it is still weighing on your heart. Either way, it is affecting your everyday life. Although you may not feel the negative effects of it every day, it prevents you from feeling the complete Joy of God every day.

This is why having a thankful heart is so important. A thankful heart is one key to peace, happiness, and growth. A thankful heart allows us to see the good in every situation. While our world may be falling apart, we will see that it was only so God could build something better. We may not understand why things are going wrong in our lives, but we can be thankful for God’s unfailing love, grace, compassion, and protection. As children of Christ, we know that He will never leave us or forsake us. He will never lead us where we shouldn’t be. 

We should show our gratitude for this every day… not just around the holidays. We should live with a thankful heart, daily. Giving thanks for everything we can possibly think of! We should give thanks through prayer, through seeking God more, and through serving others.

Not only does a thankful heart bring us joy, but it prepares us for all the goodness God offers. It opens us up to everything God wants for us. It opens us up to all of the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. A thankful heart teaches us how to live, how to react, and how to lead.  

A thankful heart also brings Honor to God, and is a repeated theme throughout Scripture:

 “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His Holy name.” – Psalm 30:4

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”  – Psalm 107:1

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” – Psalm 100:4

“For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:15

“giving thanks always for all the things to God the Father n the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   – Ephesians 5:20

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:17

            Meditate on these verses. Apply them to your life daily and discover the joy God wants for all of His children. Immerse yourself in that Joy and then share that joy with the world by how you live!

~Cassandra Whitworth