Revise, Revolt, or Retreat?

Hello Ladies,

I know. It's been a lonnnnng time since I've blogged. As many of you know, there's been a lot of transition going on with me and my family these past few months (and things are getting better and better, I might add!).

However, I miss having that stimulating dialogue with my kingdom-minded sisters, so I just had to jump back into blogging with a thought to kind of wrap up this most transitional year of years (i.e. Obama!) 2008.

As you consider all the experiences you've had this past year, I'd like to ask you to do what most of us dread - clean up your closets! God most assuredly wants to bless you with some "new things" in 2009, but will there be room in your life for them when they show up? Like all big jobs, this one is best tackled with a plan of action. So get three "baskets" in the forefront of your mind before you get started.

Revise Basket
This is where you can put those things that really do serve a purpose in your life, but could work better with some tweaking. Maybe you and your spouse have a good relationship, but you need to make more quality time for each other. Perhaps your spiritual walk has improved, but you could start a habit of saying a daily faith confession. Whatever it is, just know you don't have to throw the baby out with the bath water. Be patient and take small steps. Remember, big ships are steered by little rudders!

Revolt Basket
Let's face it - there are some things that we need to launch a revolution about in our lives. If you've been holding out, waiting on something or someone to change, and you fear making the wrong move, it's time to get off the fence of indecision and take a stand! I love this quote I recently read by T. D. Jakes:

"You are who you have been waiting for. No one else is coming."

This is the time to draw that line in the sand. Reclaim your vim, your verve, your swagga, if you will, in the Spirit of God. If you have received Jesus Christ in your heart, you also have His authority. You don't have to take anything God Himself did not hand to you.

So be compassionate, but don't take on other peoples' baggage. Be helpful, but stop enabling those who drain you. Be watchful, but don't allow stress and worry to consume you, especially over things you can't control anyway.

Retreat Basket
The buck stops here. Anything or anyone not connected to you for a God reason (notice I didn't say "good reason") cannot help you reach your destination. If you are in this race to win, don't waste time trying to convince someone who doesn't "get you" of who you are. Know for yourself what God has called you to do, what season you are in, and who you are to be in covenant with. Retreat from the restraints of your past and run full speed ahead into your bright, successful future!

Wow! That was fun! I'm starting to love this blogging thing, aren't you?

Let me know your thoughts and your progress reports as you "clean house" in preparation for 2009!

Transitioning To The Next Level

My oldest child is my daughter, Tyler, age 10. She is bright, beautiful, funny, and very affectionate. I see so many elements in her character that I admire. She is still in the "age of innocence" and God knows I want her to hold onto that as long as she can.

Right now, she's wrapping up her elementary school years this month, and come August, she will be enrolled in Middle School. (Where does the time go?!!). As is typical of most mothers preparing their child for big transitions, I've found myself sometimes going overboard trying to stress various points and principles to her. I can sometimes see in her face that unexpressed "Mama, pleeeaaassse! I know, I know!!" But I can't seem to help myself. The Mama Bear just seems to come out of me whenever I think about all that pre-teens are exposed to so soon these days. Yet I find comfort and control over my flesh when I remember that her father and I are raising her up in the way that she should go, and God promises that when she is old she won't depart from it. My faith is quickened by that, and somehow, deep down, I know that she will be alright. I also know that we won't know if she's learned the lessons if she is never given the tests.

While I do want her to grow up and become the young woman that God desires her to be, I have to fight myself constantly to release control and allow her to make her own mistakes and connect with God in her own personal way. I guess as she goes to the next level of maturity, I have to transition to the next level of parenting. It's not easy.... but I know God is able and she and I will both be alright!

Any other Mamas feelin' the stretch out there?

Where are the holy ones of God?

Good Afternoon Sisters,

It has been quite a few days since my last blog. I hope you'll forgive the absence. But I've gotten some much needed restoration and I am back on the block, girls!

Thanks for sharing such wonderful, glorious revelation and testimony. It certainly is blessing my life.

Lately, I have had occasion to become more aware than usual of the pain and darkness that humanity is in. It seems that for every advancement we make on an intellectual level, we fall backward ten steps in the maturation of our souls. The extent of human depravity and spiritual void never ceases to amaze me as I look in utter sadness at the world we live in. I can't help but cry out to the Lord, "Have mercy, O God!"

But the one thing that keeps echoing in my spirit as an answer is the passage in Eph. 3:20 that says "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us". There is a power that is works IN US. How awesome is that!

The power is there on the inside of us to enable the workings of God miracles in the earth. But are we blocking it with? What makes us so impotent to affect the world we live in? I know I'm asking the Lord to search my soul to show me what my blockers are. I want to do my part to bring God's Kingdom to this earth. How about you? Will you take your own heart to task so that the holiness God calls us to can make us ready and able to meet each of the Devil's attacks with precise counteraction?

Holler back Ladies!

Stay on the Wall Cont'd....

Sorry. I had to take come of some business before I could finish the last post.

But in conclusion to what I was saying, be like Nehemaiah and the remnant of God's people who helped him rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The Bible says that "the people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6). It's apparent that they had many distractions to contend with themselves, but in the midst of all that, they still kept the focus on their "why". In other words, they didn't lose sight of their purpose for rebuilding.

By working on those holy habits, you too are building something. You are working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit as He helps you to build the character of Christ on the inside. So don't let the idle chatter of others, their opinions, their issues, etc. get you off track.

You can't change them, but you can change yourself (with God's help)!

I suggest that you work on one habit at a time. Don't try to consume the elephant in one bite - just take it easy - one day at a time. Trust me, each victory you gain will encourage to keep going.

Currently, I'm working on rebuilding the habit of MEDITATING on God's Word. Did you know that to "meditate" means "to murmur softly over and over". That really intrigues me because when you think about it, the way we got our current perspective anyway was by repeated exposure to the same words. Words form a pattern of thinking, and thinking affects our attitude and our choices. That's some good stuff right there!

I am realizing again how powerful the spoken Word of God is and how it can transform the way I think. It's causing me to gain more confidence in who I am as a child of God. I believe I'll be like David and encourage myself in the Lord!

How about you? What holy habits are you committed to work on?

Stay On the Wall!

Welcome Fellow Bloggers & Mighty Women of God!

I thank God for another awesome meeting on last Saturday. For those of you who were there - you know what I mean. For those that could not be there - stay tuned...

We talked about "Developing the Character of a Worshipping Warrior". You know, experiencing victory in our battles is not just magical - IT'S INTENTIONAL! That means that there are certain "holy habits" that you and I must be mindful about practicing every day if we want to see the abundant life that Jesus has made available to us materialize.

Life can happen and then here come the distractions that get us off of renewing our minds and onto what ought to be in God's hands. Grandma used to put it like this: "An idle mind is the Devil's workshop!"

Have you been idle? Have you thought about what you've been thinking about? It's important that we get back to the basics, like meditating on the Word of God; not just reading it. Actively worshipping God by regular fasting and prayer. Interceding for others needs and generously giving our money and our time to bring the Kingdom into the lives of those we touch every day.

You may have been on track with all of this for quite a while, but somehow now you find yourself in a rut. DON'T BE DISCOURAGED AND DON'T ACCEPT CONDEMNATION! I have GOOD NEWS!! God is faithful to forgive us when we repent, and then He graces us to just get back up and start again with a clean slate. But it all starts with the mind...

Here's a little poem God gave me yesterday to reaffirm the importance of all of this:

Plan your attitude
Before you plan your day
Seek to do good to others
As you go along your way
Make a special effort
Take focus off of self
Then you will surely find in life
The greatest kind of wealth

God's grace and blessings to ya and I'll be back with more soon!

This is it!

Hi! It's me - Tracy!

Divine Connection is moving onward and upward with a brand new blog. Might as well catch up to the 21st Century, right? I wanted a way to chat with my ever-increasing network of sisters, and this seems to be a great way to start. I decided to call it "D-Vine" to keep our theme of connection to Christ and to each other going. What do you think? Pretty catchy?

Since most of us spend a considerable amount of time on computers nowadays anyway, I'm thinkin' this just might be a smart, practical way to connect more often than once a month. We can share thoughts, insights, questions, revelations, ideas, and such. Remember: we are called to PROVOKE one another to GOOD WORKS. So right here is where we can hold our very own "virtual chat 'n chew"!

So pull up a seat and join me, sisters... Let's see, what shall we talk about first? Anybody want to kick this thing off right?!