Enjoy the Replay of today’s virtual Edge God In Bible Study.
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
Category Archives: purpose
Shiny Objects Distracting You?
“And others are they that are sown among the thorns; these are
they that have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and
the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other thingsÂ
entering in, choke the word & it becomes unfruitful.”Â
Jesus: Mark 4:18-19
This is a very popular parable that has circulated
around the globe evoking a sense of curiosity around what kind
of “seed” you happen to be in this world and where have
you been sown? Â We have all heard at one point the
common saying, “you reap what you sow.”
So what kind of seed are you? and what have you
given power over to that is cutting off the life
source that enables you to bloom where you are planted?
Do you follow shiny objects resulting in
a very shallow root system so when the opinions of
other people and circumstances do not show up
in your favor your inner motivation and inspiration
become flat lined & unfruitful?
Or do you withstand the dark moments, with no sign
of light, having full confidence that your God given ability
to break through the dirt of life & bloom in the midst of it
all will override the momentary discomfort
of the growth process?
The choice for a deep reliable root system along
with the ability to bloom where you are planted is yours
and will make all the difference in the outcomes
you will experience on this journey of life.
I remember when my oncologist said, “it is our goal to
try to get you to 5 years.” In spite of that dirt
surrounding me I chose God and all of the healing and
love that flow from that choice with the gift of each new
day. Â Live to bloom no matter what surrounds you.
Now Pause Breathe in the Holy Spirit and Exhale any tension in your body,
Today
Dear God,
As is the case with a beautiful garden, there is a
season when the blooms fade and the vibrant colorsÂ
are replaced with dull, life less surroundings. Â Yet, in
spite of the lack of life that is captured by the human eye,
there is the process of growth and strength
that is occurring beneath the dark, cold dirt.
As the essential life giving elements flow fromÂ
your hand into the soil and seeds that lie beneathÂ
the surface, new life, growth and abundance
return once again to the faithful seeds that
don’t doubt their God given ability to bloom once
again…with more strength & expansion than
the previous season. May it be the same for me this
season. Remind me of my capability to bloom and live
a fruitful life no matter what surrounds me.
Because of His Love <><
Lauren
True Pride vs A Prideful Nature
How to Recognize Pride vs. A Prideful Nature:
True Pride:
True pride that has its way in you is unable to hear and respond to the voice of humility. Â Therefore it has an insatiable desire to dominate, be seen, acknowledged & recognized. The serpents of jealousy, envy and lack and scarcity slither around in true pride robbing it’s host of inner peace and confidence.
This pride gets easily frustrated & anger flares up when it’s plans are thwarted and people stand in its way of getting what it wants.
It is fueled by unbridled ambition that puts things before people. Â The non-essential before the essential, and will do anything, often void of moral conscious, to get what it wants.
This pride is like a spoiled child and is seldom content or deeply satisfied…always wanting more.
A Spiritually Discerning Person with a Prideful Nature:
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Know this: Even as a human being seeking to love, serve and honor God you will experience prideful flare-ups. Â Often times you will think you have passed a godly character development class in earth school only to find yourself taking a refresher course ; Â ).
The difference between a person who lives in service of pride and one who seeks to put God’s ways of love and service first and experiences occasional moments of prideful flare-ups is this:
As soon as pride shows up the spiritually discerning person will feel the burn of whatever action, thought, or word associated with the prideful moment within their biology.
Feeling the discomfort this person will choose to return to God as quickly as possible. Â Identifying and adjusting their thoughts, words and deeds to keep themselves aligned with the higher good of all concerned, which flows form their intimacy with God.
The spiritually discerning person sees pride for what it is and seeks the higher ground of humility, love and gratitude. Â They are also able to forgive others when they have prideful moments.
Basically, the truly prideful person is enslaved to pride as they continually choose it over the ways of their godly nature.
The person who has a prideful nature or tendency as humans do, yet is not a proud person, is one who rejects prideful flare-ups and quickly makes amends as they choose God over their prideful moment.
Begin again, and again and again with even more congruency today than yesterday.
Align your actions with your God given natural state of being filling your responses to life with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness and self-control.
Authentic transformation beings with ruthless honesty and the ability to adjust and choose God’s abundant grace which always offers the opportunity to begin again.
“Dear God rescue us from the weak moments of the flesh which rob us of the knowing that we are enough IN YOU. We lack nothing, as St. Teresa of Avila says, when we have you. Fill up those spaces within our interior castle which are void of the remembrance that humility, love and confidence make up the foundation for lasting inner peace and life satisfaction.”
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
God or Man? Flip Your Authority
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI5i-7cCHl4
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Too often we give more authority to circumstance than we do to
our God given ability to overcome, learn from and move
through perceived challenges in life. This week remember
that GREATER IS THE ONE who lives in YOU than
the one or thing in the world.
Your experience of rising and
falling depending upon how the world judges you is in
direct proportion to the power YOU give to the outside
circumstance to define your worth, value and capability.
If God is for you…who or what can be against you? Flip
your authority today: Give more authority to the strength of God
within you than you give to the opinions of people around you and
or specific outcomes. Failure is just a label we place on an
undesirable outcome. Think about this for a moment, if
you truly believe that God has plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, to give you hope and a future then whatever pops
up before you can be flipped into positive forward momentum.
What if you take a moment this week before any potential threat
to your sense of safety and ability to overcome and you remember
this simple thought: God has overcome all that I feel has overcome
(or potentially overcome) me in my life…He sees all and is more
than capable of doing more than I can ever ask or imagine for
my ultimate good in this world, I am safe and connected to the
One that is greater than circumstance.
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
Our Wonderful Counselor
Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord , that shall stand. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ~Proverbs 19:20-21 KJV
As we ponder on the right things to do in life and the right decisions to make, we need to first go the God for counsel. We run to seek advice from friends, family, and therapist when the person with all the answers is right there… with you all the times.
Much of the problem comes from us being able to hear what he tells us, confident without uncertainty, that it’s his voice we hear. This comes with strong conviction and dedication to your relationship with him. Through prayer and a continual building of a relationship with him, we are able to discern is voice, counsel, and instruction.
My constant prayer is that all of us are able to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the lord is talking, advising, Â and consoling us in the right paths and choices we make.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. Â And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ~Isaiah 9:6 NIV
Lord, let us hear your counsel, and receive your instruction, so that we may be wise at the end!!
Dr. Stella
Lay it Down
My friend Rhonda Sheya just sent me this today. I wept. This is so powerful. “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
A Prayer to Jump Start Your Day
A Prayer at the Break of Dawn:
Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of a new day of life to explore growing in the ways of loving and being loved…You, myself and those around me. Once again I release my grip on my need to know why things happen as they do along with my need to know how things will turn out. You are in control and that is enough for me. I give you full permission to have your way with me in spite of myself, for I have learned on this short journey of life that as I have surrendered all to you, I am never left empty handed.
Continue to release the shadows that distract me from living out the purpose for which I was created: to love and beloved. Protect me from the need to own, control, possess, analyze, interpret, conclude; from attachments, assumptions, expectations and all sense of entitlement along with the antics of comparison, jealousy and envy… for nothing thrives in a state of war.
The only thing I am entitled to know is that you love me completely just as I am and that you will never leave me nor forsake me, because of this all things are possible for me.
Grant me a spirit of joy and laughter that I may light up from the inside out and may all those who come into this light feel refreshed and inspired. Use my life and my death for the sake of salvation of souls. Use this gift of teaching you have blessed me with to guide people back to themselves as connected to you, so that they may experience their fullest potential of being on earth.
You have revealed to me through my own dark night of the soul experience that you do your greatest work in the eye of the storm, through this knowledge resurrect within me a courage that far outweighs the momentary distractions of fear, doubt and worry. For you have brought about a greater good in spite of the darkness than had my personal trials never occurred. A gifted glimpse into the mystical experience captured within one of your most masterful creations: the beautiful fragrant rose that emerges in the midst of the thorns.
You have me, and I have you…I tremble with eager expectation as to the beauty we will create together as I step into another gift of life today.
Enjoy Your Gift of Life.
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
What Has Mastered You in Life?
“A man is enslaved to whatever has mastered him.” 2 Peter 1:19
As you reflect on your own relationship with the world, what has mastered you in your life? Is it your environment? Opinions and reactions of other people? The need to be seen, acknowledged, and recognized?
Is it your behavior? My clients, who are seeking freedom from compulsive behavior, will often say, “I just can’t help myself.” This reveals a type of personal enslavement due to allowing some food, substance, situation, or person to master them over time, which in some cases results in a biological addiction.
The stress hormone is linked directly to your emotional state of mind and heart. Extended emotional stress often leads to personal enslavement, which usually walks hand in hand with unhealthy outlets. The key to freedom in situations like this lies in your ability to accept where you are at, accompanied with a desire for positive personal transformation and a choice to take a step in that direction.
Dear God, I choose this week to align my thoughts, words and deeds with my highest good and the good of all concerned. Through the power of the Holy Spirit I ignite my ability to choose my responses to life remembering that I hold the key to victimization and empowerment AND what I chose to think about sets in motion my reality.Â
All things are possible for me, shrinking back and allowing myself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery to unhealthy masters is not how you created me to show up in this life. I choose you and all things good, right, true, beautiful and praise worthy.
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
Pursue What Leads to Life Satisfaction
One of the first verses I memorized at 17 was John 10:10: I have come that YOU may have LIFE and have it to the FULL.” Jesus desires for us to experience life satisfaction, to have a joy within us that does not rise and fall depending upon how the world judges us at a single moment in time.
The next verse I memorized was Galatians 5:1: “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set you FREE stand firm then and do not allow yourself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery.” Slavery to what? To the shiny objects, selfish ambitions and the ‘Fame Game’ which distracts me from the fullness of life Jesus died to give me? The world screams and God whispers. In order for our ability to tune into those things that truly bring about the experience of Jesus proclamation: I have COME that you may have LIFE to the FULL, it is essential that we stand firm and not allow ourselves to be burdened by those things that perish within the human heart as quickly as they enter.
What do you spend your time pursuing in life? This will reveal the position of your heart. It is not so much what you do throughout the day of life you have been blessed with but the person behind what you do that reveals the presence of God through our words, thoughts, deeds and actions. Examine the motives behind those things you choose to pursue. Why are you spending your efforts in this direction? Will this produce fruit that will last or fruit that will give you a momentary hit of satisfaction? Why do you do what you do and does it align with the person you are committed to being in this world?
I woke up with this verse on my mind and in my heart: “He who pursues Righteousness & Love finds LIFE, PROSPERITY & HONOR” Proverbs 21:21
Righteousness: to be aligned with high moral standards. Life satisfaction flows easily when we are aligned with our highest good and the good of all concerned. “When I show up in life with nothing to hide because I practice humility; integrity; love and authenticity, my sleep is sound and content. I am willing to admit when I am wrong and I am conscious of good and bad behavior along with a willingness to learn, adjust and understand.â€
Love: the ability to authentically seek the highest good of another person, often times associated with intense feelings of care, concern and affection. “When I love first and then step out and lead I put to the front lines of my response to another human being the following attributes: patience; kindness; gentleness; forgiveness; humility; trust; confidence; perseverance.â€
Because of His Love,
Lauren <><
Stress Solutions for the Soul
Do what you do in life because of who YOU are, not because of how people respond to you. It is easy to love those who love you back. You resurrect the presence of God within you each time you make the choice to love and respond in kindness in the face of negativity.Â
 Your authentic character expands in the midst of those moments when you love, serve and speak the truth in kindness because of who you are, not because you are feeling mutual love and kindness.Â
 When you choose to show up with love & kindness, as you remain connected to God in the face of uncomfortable encounters, a feeling of deep satisfaction will often wash over you, this is because your soul had its way with you over your flesh.
 One of the most freeing prayers you can pray throughout your day is this:Â
Dear God, grant me the grace to release my desire to be liked so that I will stay grounded in the person you have created me to be on earth: confident; loving; kind; peaceful; inspired; creative and capable of solution based responses free to be me without out worrying about what other people will think.
Stress or inner peace flow directly from your choice to serve your soul or your flesh in this world. Â How much of your time in a day do you spend worrying about what others think, do and say? OR linger in the past or future? Â Lean back into your soul where your worth and value remain in tact.
Dear God, I give my soul permission to guide my flesh into all of life today. Â Grant me the grace to remember that with you all things are possible. Â You call me to remain, remain, remain, remain in John 15, as the vine remains in the branch. Â I give you permission today to have your way with me in spite of my wondering mind. Â Ignite my soul and fill me with IN-Spiritation…so that nothing outside of me disrupts my confidence, love & inner peace.
Enjoy Your Gift of Life,
Lauren <><