Category Archives: Faith

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, Leadership, personal excellence

Edge God In Podcast 37: Food for the Flock

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:50 — 36.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More

Feed the Flock

Father God, I ask that you bless this bible study by opening up our hearts and minds to the learning you have for us today.  I ask you that you enrich our abilities to learn, digest, apply all that we learn in a way that creates change in our hearts and minds.  With your guidance, I ask that your word provides the knowledge needed to shepherd your flock toward the revelation of knowledge that you have for them.  I thank you in advance for enriching our lives with this time to learn and experience more of you.

Edge God in Podcast Week 12: Food for the Flock

What does it mean to feed to flock?

Feeding the flock is a commitment to the worship of God. It is an active process which requires one to directly and personally experience him. It also takes us being actively involved in the works of the church (church meaning the body of Christ).

What does God say about feeding the flock?

1 Peter 5:2 says, “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

Jeremiah 3:15 says “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Jeremiah 23:4 says, “I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them, and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.

How to I shepherd the change in our hearts and minds?

  • In the world – We must be ready to receive the world no matter what state of readiness

Acts 17:10-11 says: received the work with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

We look too much into what we are told and don’t research or study what is there. In order to receive and flock the world, we need to be ready.

  • By faith – we have to return to the faith of the disciples. There were countless examples of their faith that stood the test of time. God says in Romans 14:23, that for whatever in not form faith is sin. He says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 twe walk by faith, not by sight.

Faith takes a relationship with God. It must be a relationship of trust at the root of the foundation. Trusting is hard if you can‘t see it and that is where the faith comes in.

  • Through the Gospels: they tell us that there is a sense of urgency in the feeding of the flock. God says we no not the time or hour when the son of man comes back but we do know what are work here is to do and that requires us to urgently and diligently work to do this.

Conclusion:  Feeding the flock can involve all forms of works in the church. Healing, ministering, teaching, etc.  Neglecting the “feeding the flock” is in turn very badly damaging to preaching the gospel to the world. You can’t be a casual observer but must be personally involved.

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, personal excellence

Edge God In Podcast 10: Trust Trumps Fear

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (13.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More

EdgeGodIn.com

Dear Lord, help me to know deep in my soul that you have my best interests in mind so much so that no matter what happens around me in life I am able to trust with complete confidence that with you I am safe and loved.

Edge God In Podcast 10: Trust Trumps Fear

Click Here to Download the PDF Edge God In Bible Study for this Podcast: EdgeGodIn Week 10 Trust Trumps Fear

 

Bible Study, Christian, Faith, how to, tips for purpose driven life

How to Kick In God’s Power…

Are you worn out at Peter was after fishing all night without anything to show for it? Reflect on Luke 5:5 and 2 Peter 2:19. Has your “doing” in life creating an interior prison linking your worth to your achievements? Ask the Lord: where would you have me go today? Who would you have me speak to? What do you want me to spend my time doing with the gifts and talents you have given to me? When Peter stepped away from the enslavement of his own efforts into the Lord’s guidance: “Go out into deep waters and cast your nets” it was then that he came to the end of himself which is when God kicks in. Let Go and Let God Move You into His Will Today.

Let God and Lean Into God. When you get to the end of yourself it is then that God’s mighty power and will begins.

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Bible Study, Christian, Faith

EGI Episode 3: Spiritual Energy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: RSS | More

There is a lot of talk about energy especially in reference to spiritual energy.  In new age teaching Spiritual energy” is felt to be no less real than any other energy, like electricity for example, and thought to be more vastly important. Spiritual energy in this sense is prana (also known as “universal life force” or “qi”) carried by pure love.

But we as Christians need to understand what does God teaching tell us about energy in the spiritual sense.

Estella and Lauren discuss important things that we as Christian’s need understand about energy based on Gods Principles.  Three topics for discussion includes…

  1. Knowing who God is
  2. Knowing what  God teaches
  3. Knowing how he wants us to apply all the energy he has given us
Faith, how to, Inspiration, prayer

2017 10 Things to Believe


Below are 10 beliefs that I recently heard from one of my spiritual mentors in life, Joyce Meyer and have expanded upon. She has powerful credibility in this area because she was sexually abused by her father until she was 18. She could have believed that she was the abuse and she could have allowed the abuse to define her worth and value; however, she chose to believe 10 things that led to her victory over the mind muck which blocked her joy for many years. Perhaps there is a belief contained in the following information that will help you reclaim your victory over hardship in the New Year.

 

Prune for growth in the area of inner strength and confidence as you step into the New Year remembering that the One who dwells within in is greater than circumstance. This is a practice which led to my own healing and restoration when I went through advanced cancer and divorce at the same time:

 

  1. Believe that God is good, no matter what trial is going on outside of you. I learned through my own trial, through cancer and divorce, that God has the ability to bring about a greater good than had the hardship never even occurred.
  2. Believe that it will ultimately work out. Consider the rose that appears in the midst of the thorns…how is that possible, you may ask, that such beauty appears in the midst of such a pain producing element? Open your eyes in nature and you will see this relationship repeat itself, perhaps as a sign to help us remember when we forget: the rainbow can only appear in or after the storm.
  3. God is greater than your problems and with Him nothing is impossible with God. God believes you can…do you?
  4. Believe that your break through is going to manifest at any moment.
  5. Believe that you hear from God. Don’t ever say, “I wish I could hear from God” say, “I hear from God and I am led by the Holy Spirit.” My first book, Hearing His Whisper, contains my conversations with God before, during and after the trial. They began with the same prayer the young boy Samuel used to unlock his ability to hear the voice of God, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
  6. Believe that God has heard your prayers and expect an answer. Each day I claim the answer I desire, “Thank you God for my healing.” Just as the blind man when asked by Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” replied quickly and perhaps with confidence and faith, “Lord, I want to see.”
  7. Believe that God’s healing power is working in your body and you will feel better and stronger every day.
  8. Believe God gives you favor every where you go and that you don’t have to work at being accepted by people. Let God give you favor. Moving into the New Year I have started to proclaim the following statement as I transition from one activity to another: “God’s favor is with me where ever I go.”
  9. Believe that God is working in your life and the lives of your loved ones and you are changing all the time, stepping into the person you are created to be. Believe that God sees you for who you desire to be rather than how your behavior shows up and offer the same generous assumption to those around you. Practice kindness and compassion.
  10. Believe, Believe, Believe! “All things are possible for those who believe.” Mark 9:23. Make love and confidence your way in the New Year!

Happy New Year and God’s Favor to You!

Lauren <><

Christian, Faith, how to, Inspiration, Leadership, personal excellence, purpose, Stress relief

Self-Control: The Caboose of the Fruits


Learn => Reflect => Identify & Adjust => Integrate => ACT

The fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness are all ignited into action through the last fruit of the spirit: self-control. It is the Caboose of the fruits that keep the first 7 on track. Without self-control our ability to respond with love and forgiveness over hatred and judgment is blocked.

Scriptures: Learn:

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of POWER, Love & Self-Control.” 1 Timothy 1:7

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.†Romans 12:1

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

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.†Zechariah 4:6

Reflect/Identify & Adjust:

One of my favorite reminders of who I am in this world comes from the above verse in 1 Timothy 1:7.  Let’s dismantle this a little to give it more clarity of focus thus increasing our ability to put it into daily action.

First of all, know what you are and what you are not. This releases inner anxiety instantly:

You are a child of God, possessing the blue print of the creator of the universe flowing through your spirit that is beyond all momentary troubles and tribulations.  Your spirit knows itself to be enough, capable and victorious at all times even in the eye of the storm. Simply put, you are first and foremast a spiritual being having a physical experience, as proclaimed by the Christian mystics throughout history. 

You are not your circumstance; judgments from yourself and others; traumatic situations; rejection; fear; doubt or worry…unless you choose to believe you are in which case the spirit of fear will twist the reality of who you are as created in the image AND likeness of God.

For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of POWER, Love & Self-Control. You have a spirit that moves with self-control: the ability to choose a certain response to life that serves your well-being and the well being of all concerned.  We do not use the spirit of self-control enough in our daily life as we play victim to our circumstances: “If I don’t get this certain outcome I won’t be able to handle it”…”life is a struggle”…”I can’t do that”, “Nothing ever works out for me” “I don’t understand why they did that, said that, didn’t do that…why things work out for other people and not for me.”

In order to experience the POWER and the LOVE contained at the heart of our spirit which fuels our ability to create, self-control needs to be resurrected to the front lines of our responses to people, things and circumstances.

Integrate/ACT:

This week practice self-control…step back from your quick responses to life, often fueled by emotional flare-ups of unbridled ambition and seek the wisdom that flows from the Holy Spirit, known as the Counselor: “Give me the words to speak that are in my best interest and reflect the higher good I am created for, or the silence needed for even greater wisdom and guidance.” Remember, true greatness comes through the archway of temperance, humility and love. The gap, which allows wisdom to drop in between what happens around you and your response to it, grows bigger with each act of self-control.

Dear God, I give you permission to resurrect within me the spirit that is my birth right as your child on earth: A spirit of POWER, LOVE and SELF-CONTROL.  In order for me to experience the power of your love through my thoughts, words and responses to the life in front of my face I need the grace of faith in action manifested through self-control.  Help me to remember who I am this week, why I do what I do and the bigger picture in life. Expand my ability to control my thoughts of self defeat, judgment of self and others that render me incapable of accessing the strength and power of my spirit to overcome and powerfully witness to the successful creative nature that manifests a greater good on earth, which I am willing to consider I will focus on at the sunset of this life.  Help me to live my life backwards…doing, saying, creating those things that at my last breath, as I reflect on how I showed up each day, will cause me to hear the sweet words of ultimate success in life: “well done, my good and faithful servant, you remembered who you are, what you are capable of & why, with the gift of each new dawn your heart continued to beat.”

Questions for Growth:

What specific area of your life would you like to practice more self-control this week in order to bring Glory to God?

What could you do today that would help you think about what is good and admirable?

When is it easy to let the Holy Spirit guide your actions? When is it difficult?

Our Next Virtual Bible Study will be October 28th at 9:30 am EST/7:30 am MT/6:30 am PST 

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Christian, Faith, personal excellence

Knowing Happens in Stillness


 

“Be Still and Know that I Am God” Psalm 46:10

 

Perhaps the invitation here is to infuse your daily tasks with moments of silence.  Cease to DO & simply BE so that the divine spark that is ignited by intimacy with God can override the antics of your mind which is fueled by unbridled ambitions and the need to analyze, interpret and conclude…wow, just writing those 3 words is an energy leak.

 

How about this week you begin and end your day simply sitting in silence as you express the simple longing of the young boy Samuel: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

 

Sit for 5-10 minutes in stillness morning & evening and expand 1 minute each day.  Then infuse your day with shorter moments of stillness before God: take 2 minute silent breaks from the mind and lean into God. Watch and observe yourself do life after these mind breaks and notice how inner peace, confidence and kindness begin to have its way within your responses to life.

 

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

Faith

God Shows Up

As I walked through the experience of advanced cancer and divorce I would often read through and proclaim the same scriptures that the pastor reads while the miracle took place in this video. Watch and listen to the power of God’s hand in healing.

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><

#Faith

Christian, Faith, Inspiration, prayer, purpose, Uncategorized

If I Can? Belief Makes it Possible


 

I was reading the scriptures today from Mark 9:14-23. So imagine this scene: a bunch of people crowding around Jesus in awe and wonder. One man in particular makes his way into Jesus attention and speaks up:

“Teacher, my son is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

So I’m not sure at this point if any of the disciples this man was referencing happened to be overhearing this conversation. I can imagine though if I was in their shoes I would have felt a bit thrown under the failure bus…wouldn’t you? So here we stand in a moment of DOUBT. Can you relate?

There is also another element here worth exploring, that being robbed of the ability to speak, which was the case for the boy possessed by the evil spirit. Have you ever felt robbed of the ability to speak? Perhaps it’s simply around your ability to speak healthy boundaries into your life or speaking the truth in spite of negative reaction? Either way it’s obviously an area that an evil spirit can slither into and perhaps worth some self reflection.

The scriptures continue on with the scenario and Jesus response which I can only imagine the facial expressions that went along with it: “O unbelieving generation…how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”   Quickly the people ran and got the boy who was possessed and Jesus asks how long the boy was in this condition…perhaps to remind us all the healing from God is not confined by time or intensity, as is too often the case in human reasoning: “Well, it’s always been this way so this is the way it will always be.” Jesus is constantly beckoning to us all to step up and out of limited, self-defeating thinking.

The people responded from that below the line limited thinking as they shared with Jesus that the boy had been possessed since childhood and then went on to say, “if you can do anything take pity on us!” …Sound familiar? “Please God, please help me if you can do anything to help me, then help me.” I know those words flew out of my mouth during some dark moments in the midst of advanced cancer and divorce.

Again, can you imagine the facial expressions that go along with Jesus’ response to the above plea from the boy’s father: “If you can?..EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE for those who believe.” After saying these words Jesus’ commands the deaf and dumb spirit to leave the child and he is healed instantly. Compassionately Jesus then instructs the disciples as to the need for specific prayer needed to drive out this kind of evil spirit.

I have often laughed out loud as I imagine how many times Jesus has had the same response to my plea’s for help: “If I can? All things are possible for those who believe.” When you ask for those things in a surrendered state which align with the will of God for you in life: love; joy; peace; patience; self-control; godliness; kindness; goodness; gentleness; strength of character; wisdom; perspective; guidance; a spirit of courage and power to overcome that which you feel overcome by in your circumstances in life, then stand up tall and occupy the space of belief that YOU WILL RECEIVE THAT WHICH YOU ASK FOR.

God believes He CAN do all things in and through you…do you?

Because of His Love,

Lauren <><