Kingdom Coach Gwen Stephens introduces a blog to impact Women abroad! Bringing us to a place of unity; from all across the globe. In support of our accomplishments, hopes, dreams, and provide moral support. From the Founders Desk Remember ALWAYS to ~Be Empowered and LIVE~
Money is not the root of evil. The LOVE of it is. Money is a tool; a resource designed to help with costs, bless others, and provide a better way of living. Love not the world and neither the things therein. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. THESE are what leads on a downward path. These are what causes mankind to sin.
Trust Him even when you cannot trace Him. Look around and you will see His grace at work.
Sometimes it’s right in front of us and we don’t want to see. The problem, the solution, the betrayal, the execution. Open your eyes! Stand guard and be free! Be wise in the Lord and you will maintain victory.
There are NO failures in life; just roads to journey on. The ones you decide to travel will determine the lessons learned. Yet, all roads lead to destiny. The way that looks rests with you alone.
There are no failures in life…..
Just turns that contribute to what your future holds.
Cherish the help that God sends. Listen to, be mindful of, and accept the help that is received. You are not an island. We are many moving parts, and each one is necessary for the body to,
~Be Empowered & LIVE~
The Word of the Lord is the Word of the Lord. It SHALL NOT return unto Him void! God speaks and it is so! For God is not a man that He can lie, and neither is He the son of man that He can repent.
SIMPLICITY
Here’s what I want you to do:
Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace (Matthew 6:6).
It’s essential that we don’t get distracted by “dos” and “don’ts,” but remain focused on the power of hoping and believing in Christ as evidenced by our love for one another. Simplicity does not mean that things are simpler or less demanding. It means that anything superfluous and not needed is discarded and replaced by what is necessary. The Bible states over and over that it is not sacrifice but obedience the Lord seeks—and our love walk demonstrates that obedience.
We know we are led of the Spirit when we choose love. Keep it simple. Walk in love. This is how you will uncover your authentic self, created in the image of love. Just be yourself before God, for God loves you just as you are! And being yourself before Him is how you can love Him in return. Love being yourself. True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness. —Albert Einstein
ACTION STEPS
People who are leaders move proactively. We plan, implement, then execute. Progressive people are proactive NOT reactive. You CAN be at the front of the line. The decision to excel is yours to make. No more delay!
Life is TOO LONG to live with regrets! So laugh more, explore, and reach for all that’s within your reach. You owe it to yourself to,
~Be Empowered & LIVE~
DISCIPLINE
Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever (1 Timothy 4:7-8).
The key to a successful, prosperous life is discipline. Paul emphasized the importance of discipline in almost every letter he wrote. In the Book of Acts he said, “I always exercise and discipline myself…to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men” (Acts 24:16 AMP). Paul wrote Timothy declaring: “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7 NLT).
Peter also wrote about discipline:
“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with…alert discipline” (2 Pet. 1:5).
A disciplined life in God will produce the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol” (Gal. 5:22-23 NLT). Discipline will empower you to become and to do the extraordinary.
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. —Aristotle
ACTION STEPS
The greatest battles are fought within. Only choose whether they should involve those who are on the outside of your own skin. When the greater cause of the issue has nothing to do with another; but all to do with an inward battle. You are where it starts and ends.
by Dr. Cindy Trimm
“The soul is that aspect of your whole being that correlates, integrates, and enlivens everything going on in the various dimensions of your self— things like your appetites, ambitions, thoughts, and motivations. It’s what makes you, you.
Disaster happens when your soul becomes organized around feelings. A negative feeling or prevailing mood can spread into your whole life; like a red towel in a load of white clothes—it bleeds on everything.
However, God also gave you emotions that would incline you to enjoy participating in life—as well as to turn you away from desires that could keep you in bondage and morph into full-blown lusts.
The key isn’t to deny or repress your feelings—but to control them. As you explore the nature of the soul this week, your characteristics of authenticity are connected to the themes of Becoming, Restoring, Resting, Imaging, and Sensing.
The soul isn’t something you have, but rather who you are. Becoming your authentic self— your true soul—will take a considerable amount of this day’s characteristic—Discipline.
The key to Restoring your soul is living what you believe in every dimension of your life. This is possible when your life is defined by the characteristic of Simplicity.
Resting allows your soul to recharge and connect back to God. The characteristic linked to Resting is Uniqueness. Take time to rest and thank God for making you uniquely you.
Imaging means representing God on this earth—showing the world His image in you—and one of the most powerful ways you can do this is through your unique, God-given Passion.
Everyone has feelings and relates to the world largely through Sensing— their ability to feel. However, the soul should never be controlled by emotions. Instead, learn to embrace God’s Joy, which should define your authentic life. When you are characterized by joy, you’re living out of who you really are!”
The Lord wants you to know that,
“You ARE loved! You ARE healed! You ARE graced! You ARE free! You ARE chosen! You ARE blessed. You have safety in ME! You are MORE THAN ENOUGH, YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO BE! You are because GOD IS. So, be YOU authentically”.
GOODNESS
Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it. —Pablo Casals
Paul posed one of the most compelling questions when he challenged the Romans:
You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of His patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because He wants you to turn to Him?
(Romans 2:4 CEV)
It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. It is only because of God’s goodness that we can have any hope of being good ourselves. One of the most detoxifying things you can do for your soul is to turn to God and repent. When you turn away from thoughts and habits that are contrary to the Spirit of Christ, and instead turn toward God and His ways, you become “rich in goodness.” As Paul told the Romans:
“You yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge” (Rom. 15:14 AMP).
Get reacquainted with your authentic self. Determine to be filled with God’s goodness, and to express it. After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power, and goodness as evidenced by His handiwork. —James Prescott Joule
ACTION STEPS
For the fruit…of the Light or the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life (Eph. 5:9 AMP).
When permanent decisions are made from temporary situations, it leaves the playing field vulnerable for unforeseen attacks. Patience is the only thing that will counteract that.
PEACE
Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval…but He turns His back on those who do evil things (1 Peter 3:10-12).
If a state of peace is essential for health and prosperity to flourish in a nation, how much more in our individual lives? For this reason Paul told Timothy to pray for “all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2 NLT).
This week practice peace:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace”
(Col. 3:15 NIV).
How do you practice peace? How do you let the peace of Christ rule in your heart? I leave you with these instructions given by the apostle Peter: Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9). If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. —Chinese Proverb
ACTION STEPS
BALANCE
For he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors
(Hebrews 4:10 AMP)
One of the primary reasons for pursuing a Soul Fast is to regain balance in life. What is life balance? It can be hard to describe exactly. A balanced life will look different to different people. But I’m sure we would all agree what it feels like when your life is out of balance! I believe that is why many of you are on this Soul Fast journey. You are seeking balance. A balanced life is about prioritizing the many activities and responsibilities involved in living—work, home, health, parenting, finances, marriage, etc.—and framing them in such a way that you do not lose touch with yourself in the process. And then, when life throws you a curveball, you are still able to hit a homerun. Creating balance requires taking a deep breath and finding time in an otherwise busy schedule to nurture yourself and others. Balance is not only about prioritizing what you do, but is also about getting adequate rest. As with wholeness, this comes when you put your entire life into God’s hands and allow Him to lead. When your priorities are right, you will feel less stressed and more blessed. Gaining balance for me began by seeking the Kingdom of God and making His will a priority
(see Matt. 6:33)
If whatever you do is done “as unto the Lord”—with a grateful heart—not seeking anything but to please God, you will find your life naturally lining up with God’s perfect will and infused by His perfect peace If you are first and foremost honoring God with your every thought and deed, then His peace, joy, and rest will always be near at hand. Remember, this is God’s will concerning you! Opening your whole being to be an instrument and voice from God, takes something from you as you allow God to work through you, pouring yourself out; empowerment from the Spirit is a rhythm of work and rest. —Marlaena Cochran
ACTION STEPS
This week, I encourage you to read Hebrews 4:1-11
Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalms 103:2-5 NKJV).
Meekness is not weakness! Your ability to show grace to others when they do not the same for you is an inner strength that you were gifted with, and it will always speak volumes.
Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:6-7).
When I pause to consider the course of my life, I conclude that it was divinely orchestrated to bring me to a place of wholeness. Denying, rejecting, judging, or hiding from any aspect of your total being creates pain and results in a lack of wholeness. You cannot adjust what you are not prepared to address.
You are the sum total of all your experiences—good and bad. Wholeness represents a total integration of every facet of your life’s experiences. It is the only way to live with congruency, interconnectedness, and completeness.
You can only be complete if your heart is not divided between blame and acceptance. Wholeness requires you to accept responsibility for what you choose to let inhabit your heart.
The one quality that authentic people have is their willingness to take responsibility for their life. When you allow faith and forgiveness to liberate and heal your soul, you will be well on your way to living on the summit of wholeness.
Allow God’s Spirit to bring healing to your heart, wholeness to your soul, and that degree of completion we all long for. Paul told the Colossians, “You are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10 NKJV).
Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul. —Oscar Wilde
ACTION STEPS
With all that demands our attention, let us try to worry less. Trust in the process. Settle your heart and mind, and rest your hope in the Master’s plan.
Now that you’ve reset for the Gregorian year ahead, let go of bad habits, adopt new ones, and celebrate yourself for graduating to another measurement of a GREATER being!
Then, remember ALWAYS to,
~Be Empowered & LIVE~
The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
All human beings are born with capacity. Among the many things we have capacity for is the capacity to grow, to learn, to love, to create, to change, to modify our behavior based on the demands of the situation or circumstance, to succeed, and to prosper. The purpose of The 40 Day Soul Fast is to create in you the capacity to hear and receive God’s best plan for your life–to enlarge the capacity of your soul for the great work that lies ahead of us all. May you be among those, as Jesus said, “to whom [the capacity to receive] it has been given” (Matt. 19:11 AMP).
Take time to reflect on what you are hearing the Lord say this week. Press in and focus on discerning the Lord’s voice amidst all the static and clutter around you. Clear the ground wherever you are by making room for the presence of God—let Him come and burn up the overgrowth and chaff in your life.
Every day of this 40-day Soul Fast you should be growing more spiritually alive! You should be increasing your capacity to access everything God’s Spirit is doing! Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art. — Leonardo da Vinci
ACTION STEPS
Pray! Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom as you seek to understand the purpose of a Soul Fast.
DRILLING DOWN
What are the major events or decisions–or lack thereof–that brought you to where you are now?
What is the fruit (rotting, perhaps!) you are carrying with you as a result? Be sensitive to areas of regret or shame that may surface.
What have you chosen to believe about yourself and others? How is that reflected in your relationships?
Think on this:
The speed at which you choose to believe a thought is how quickly you change the course of your destiny. Your life is simply a representation of the sum total of your choices, choices that either enslave or save your soul. Ultimately, you are only one decision away from changing everything! How does this make you feel?
Encouraged?
Purpose to do this–from here forward, make the decision to align everything you say or do with the Word of God. What do you think will change as a result of this one decision?
PATIENCE
We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next (Romans 5:3-4).
Yesterday we talked about commitment. Once you’ve committed to an endeavor, you will need patience to see it through to completion. Patience will refine and perfect you. Patience is a discipline you must practice if you want to break free from the myriad of things that can plague and pollute your soul! Jesus said that it is only by exercising patience that you will learn to “possess your soul” (Luke 21:19 NKJV).
As you draw closer to your authentic self, you must learn to take possession of your soul by mastering the art of patience. Developing patience is key to growing into your authentic self and fulfilling your best destiny: “For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God” (Heb. 10:36 AMP). If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. —Henry David Thoreau
ACTION STEPS
Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4 NKJV).
The songwriter once said,
“There is no pain that Jesus cannot heal nor battle that he cannot win”.
Life offers moments when the leafs 🍃 on the ground wither away and the sound of the battle weary is followed by silent thinking. During moments like these, lean not to your own understanding. Instead, look to the hills from which comes your help. Knowing all our help comes from God.
COMMITMENT
Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Mark 8:35-37)
The difference between those who win at life and those who lose is not based on the amount of education one acquires, the amount of money one earns, nor the superior skills one was born with, but instead is based upon one’s level of commitment. Commitment requires faith. You must not only have faith in God, but faith in the person that God has made you to be. That faith will be tested along the way. The testing and trying of your faith, the refining of your intentions and resolve, the dedication, determination, and perseverance required to stick with something until you’ve obtained the desired outcome will empower and liberate you—and expand your capacity to do even more. Jesus told His disciples,
“By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls” (Luke 21:19 AMP).
If you are reading this, you have already demonstrated this characteristic and are well on your way to living truer to your authentic self. Continue to cultivate commitment by sticking with this 40-day endeavor to the very end! It is this steadfast endurance that will strengthen and purify your soul like nothing else.
A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. —Elbert Hubbard
ACTION STEPS
Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry (Luke 21:19).
There is a way that seems right, but does it lead to life? Does it lead to light? Is it led by Yahweh or is it our way? Listen to that still small voice. It will never lead you down the wrong path.
Some may not understand YOU because they don’t understand or agree with your assignment, and guess what? That’s completely OKAY. It’s okay to walk in such a way that the lid others try to put you in cannot stop your purpose or prophetic flow. You were made for this. Keep God first, remain humble, submit your ways to the Lord, and you will be established in everything you do #Building that which others can benefit from and wanting nothing in return #That is servanthood at best
#Who have YOU served lately
Watch the company you keep, because your ability to SOAR depends on the type of WEIGHT that you allow to onboard your wings #1 Corinthians 15:33
God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are
(Romans 8:15)
Today of your journey to a more authentic life, begins with a focus on awareness. This is one of 40 characteristics that define a person who is living authentically—for how can you be truly yourself if you’re not aware of who you truly are?
For now, I want you to simply focus on being more self-aware. Without cultivating self-awareness, nothing else you do will move you toward living more authentically. It is the first step you must take in making the adjustments necessary to correct the course of your life.
If you are to grow as a person, you must be aware of what your thoughts are telling you about whom you are now and who you are capable of becoming. You must have an objective understanding of your own mindsets, habits, challenges, strengths, and weaknesses.
We shall not cease from exploration—and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. —T. S. Eliot
ACTION STEPS
Describe what you believe are some outstanding characteristics about yourself?
How have you capitalized on those and harnessed the inherent power of you?
What more can you do to maximize your unique set of gifts and minimize your own peculiar shortcomings?
Take a look at the 24 questions below. Take some time to look them over at the beginning of this 40-day journey. You don’t have to answer them all right now; return to reflect on them occasionally throughout the Soul Fast process. Insights will come to you along the way. When these questions keep you awake at night and make you listless during the day, set aside time to pray and journal your thoughts until you find the answers.
Listen carefully to what you hear God’s Spirit saying—that still, small voice—and write down what you hear.
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP).
24 QUESTIONS
1. Who am I outside of the roles I play?
2. What are my long-term goals?
3. What should I be doing with my life right now?
4. What are my strengths?
5. What are my weaknesses?
6. What direction will my life go if I continue doing what I’m doing?
7. How can I be sure I am in the right place, doing the right thing?
8. What is my purpose?
9. Who should I be partnering with?
10. What resources are available for me to accomplish my goals?
11. Do I like the person I’ve become?
12. What do I really want to achieve in this lifetime?
13. What brings me my greatest joy?
14. What am I really passionate about?
15. What frustrates me most or makes me sad?
16. If I could do something other than what I am doing now, what would that be?
17. If I could live somewhere else, where would that be?
18. Do these things that I do and am involved with make me feel good and happy?
19. Are my relationships mutually beneficial and symbiotic?
20. Is there room for improvement in my relationships?
21. What have I accomplished so far with my life? Is it enough?
22. If I could do one thing different, what would it be?
23. After my death, will future generations know that I lived?
24. How do I want people to remember me?
Old things are passed away, behold ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW! That said, let us lay down weights of the past (mindsets, offenses, ways, etc.), and let’s position ourselves to ELEVATE! Let this year be the beginning of the highest place you’ve walked in since the day of your birthing #Its only UP from here #Excellence is the ONLY way
HAPPY NEW YEARS DAY LADIES
Today, we will begin our 40 DAY SOUL FAST shared from the book by Dr. Cindy Trimm. Take this journey with us as we walk through the second year of our MINDSET MATTERS CHALLENGE. Grab a journal, comment to this post. Either way, it’s about reclaiming and walking in what belongs to YOU today and forevermore!
Day One
WORDS
By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. —MATTHEW 12:37, KJV
Discipline #1:
USE YOUR WORDS WISELY
Our words are powerful. They have power, presence, and prophetic implications with no time or place limitations. In other words, many things that are happening in our lives can be traced back to the words we have spoken in the past—a kind of self-fulfilled prophecy. We create the future by the words we speak, which is a conduit of the thoughts we think. Whether internal private dialogues or audible expressions of our thoughts, feelings, and intentions articulated by sound, we can build or tear down our lives and the world in which we live. Like a plant wilts or thrives based on what kind of nutrients, water, and sunlight it receives, so do individuals, families, communities, and countries wilt or thrive based on words. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21). The fruit of your words
becomes the reality of your life. When you change your words, you change your reality.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Do you remember certain teachers you had in school who caused you to either wilt or thrive because of what they said?
Have you ever said or thought something negative and then observed it come to pass?
How often do you come into agreement with negative words being spoken about people or situations (whether it is in conversation or in the news) instead of listening to God’s heart and perspective?
Who are some people who do an exceptional job of watching their words and speaking words of life?
What is a step you could take toward guarding the words you speak and only releasing words of life?
ACTIVATION EXERCISES
Ask God to give you a mental picture of what happens in the spirit realm when you speak negative words. Then ask Him to give you a mental picture of what happens when you speak positive words.
Ask God to bring to your mind someone who needs encouragement—and then ask Him to help you craft it. Deliver that message however you wish.
Start a fund for the needy. For every negative thought or negative word spoken by you, your family, or close friends and associates, agree to give a dollar to that fund. At the end of every week or month, give it to someone less fortunate or to your favorite charity. Do this for a year.
EMPOWERMENT PRAYER
Say this out loud:
Dear Lord, give me grace to see the fruit of the words that leave my lips. Help me to be mindful of whether I am releasing words of life or death, and empower me by Your Holy Spirit to only release words of life.
I know that without You it would be impossible, so I choose to lean on You, listen, and yield to Your promptings. I choose to align myself with heaven’s perspective and release words of life from Your heart so that Your will can be done on earth as it is in heaven.
~Be Empowered & LIVE~
