Beyond The Garden has moved to a new site!

Hi fellow followers!

I've moved my blog to a new hosting site. I'll no longer post here, so if you'd like to continue to follow, please check out the new site at beyondthegarden.net. There is a box on the right side that allows you to enter your email address in the "follow by email" box. This will allow you to continue to receive new posts in your inbox. All of the content of this blog is there so you won't miss a thing.

Please be patient as we refresh and build the new site. I believe God will do amazing things in this season, and I look forward to sharing that with you! As always, I'll continue to post on facebook, instagram and twitter so feel free to follow there!

Much love!

xoxo
-Nicole

Finding joy in your everyday life

All too often we look for joy in the "big" things in life....marriage, anniversary, birthdays, a new house, a new car, a new job, a promotion, a new business (as you can see, we find joy in pretty much anything "new") and so on.... We've been trained by religion to look for God and His fingerprint in all things BIG and SUPERnatural. 

While God is very much in the BIG things, when we are trained to only recognize him there (or even to more easily recognize Him there) we are more prone to take for granted all the other great things about our lives. We are also more easily discouraged and dissatisfied in the "between" times.  

Because big things often come to us seasonally, they give us a "big high" and from this "feeling" we sing praises and express prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving. But even this is temporary.  As soon as the "high" wears off, which happens when the new thing becomes common to us, we begin to look for the next high. 

You see, we are very greedy. No matter how much we say or sing about being satisfied in God, we are rarely satisfied.  Our desire for more from God is insatiable. We always want more. 

We want him to take us from one "high" to another and when He does not do this as quickly as we like, we allow our love, trust and faith in Him to become tainted by our greed. In our self-centered view of God, we are convinced He is a loving Father and Provider in times of abundance, and we are convinced He is uncaring, absent or asleep in times of lack.

Never mind what He has already done for us. As soon as the next "seeming crisis" hits our lives, we are back to asking Him "where are You?" Regardless of the blessing we just received, as soon as another self-defined need arises, we are backing to asking, "when will you meet this need and why haven't You done it yet?"  

We are infected with selfishness, pride and a lack of gratitude because we were born in the flesh.  And when religion was formed, it connected with our flesh and taught us that we could manipulate God using our praise and thanksgiving to provoke Him to do what we want. In our flesh, what we desire casts a shadow over who God is ,and our praise & worship is shaped according to how we feel about Him at the time. This is not why we were created. Who God is should provoke our praise & worship and out of that flows everything we need and a lot of what we desire (let's be honest, not everything we desire is good)!

It's a life long battle so long as we live in the human body, so we must have a strategy to overcome this self-centered disposition.  The key is finding joy in the daily happenings of our lives instead of waiting for the next big thing.  We don't do this automatically so this has to be an intentional effort on our part. We have to practice not allowing our everyday lives to become routine, mundane and common to us.  

There is so much about your life that is already a miracle! I'm often amazed at how quickly I forget how far I've come. It was not so long ago that I was unhappy, unfocused and outside of the will of God.  One of God's greatest miracles was cleaning ME up!  Not to mention that despite the mess I made of my life for years, He turned my mess into purpose, worked my mistakes into my destiny and blessed my life beyond what I even thought was possible!!!

And yet, here I am, day after day, praying for Him to do more...to provide me with the next "urgent" thing I need from Him.  Don't get me wrong. As our Father, He desires for us to come to Him with all of our needs and even all of the desires of our heart. It's His good pleasure to bless us with the good things of life.  

But I encourage you to take a moment to survey the "good things" in your every day life.  Don't look for joy only in the supernatural. Find joy in the moments of your daily natural life.  That moment when your child gives you a hug for no reason or calls just to chat about nothing. That moment you share a laugh with your husband over something silly. That moment you realize that even though you don't talk to your friend all the time, when you're together, its like you were never apart. In those quiet moments at home when everyone is asleep. 

Sister, there is so much joy in your life. The enemy would love nothing more than to shield it from you with your own desire for more.  He loves to exaggerate what you're missing and down-play what you have. Don't allow this.  Purposefully look for the joy of the Lord in everything.  It is there and it truly is your strength in those times of lack, discouragement and waiting.  Look for it on purpose and never ever allow yourself to get in your own way of seeing God's miracles every day...every.single.day.

Pushing through Spiritual Discomfort

Notes from my quiet time...

Spiritual discomfort always precedes spiritual growth and manifestation. In my life, I've learned my greatest lessons after I've encountered a really tough challenge. 

Perhaps you're familiar with those divine challenges that are easy to overcome and master in no time. No? Neither am I. For some reason, God doesn't give me those. 

Go figure! 

Instead, He orchestrates and allows intense periods of discomfort that are designed to provoke the growth He desires to see in me.  

These uncomfortable places sometimes challenge my faith in Him as well as myself.  You see, He doesn't allow me to get just a little uncomfortable. No, not me. He allows me to get SO uncomfortable that I literally start to doubt everything and nothing makes sense.  

Even the things that made perfect sense before seem crazy and insane.  Things I was sure about start to look a little uncertain. Steps I was confident in taking become shaky and unstable. Decisions that were clear and definite become blurry and questionable.  And then my mind becomes a battlefield of  contrary thoughts and ideas: 

• Did I really hear from God? 
• Did I miss something? 
• Did I jump the gun? 
• Did I move too quickly? 
• Maybe it was my flesh all along. 
• Maybe I should have just let well enough alone.  
• I should have given it more thought before making that decision.  
• I should have waited a little longer. 
• God are you even paying attention because THIS IS NOT WHAT I ASKED FOR!

Then Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-25

I can so relate to this. In my heart, I believe the Lord and what He said to me. I believe His Word and His promises. I believe in His Character and His love for me. But there are days when I have to cry out WITH TEARS, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

In my spirit, I KNOW the truth and I believe God. It's my unbelieving flesh that is the problem.  My spirit knows that every divine process God sends my way will work out for my good. Time and time again, both in His Word and in my own life, God has proven this to me. But this flesh of mine!  It tends to panic at the very thought of discomfort.

I can honestly say that I love being blessed and experiencing the divine will of God, though my flesh absolutely detests being uncomfortable.  And if I think back over my process and relationship with God, I can also honestly say that I've experienced my greatest growth and blessings after I've been the most uncomfortable. 

Every single time I have been able to stand and push through discomfort without retreating to my comfort zones, God has delivered on His promise...BIG TIME.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

~1 Peter 1: 6-7 

Now, you may be wondering HOW in the world to push through the discomfort.  I've learned that you have to be intentional about it so I'll share a few of my methods of pushing through:

• Remember your past experiences with God - sometimes taking a moment to remember all of the times God has delivered you will motivate you to keep going. Remember where you've been, what you've overcome and how much you've grown. Don't minimize your victories of the past. They should serve as a reminder that God has kept His promise before and He will do so again.
• Renew your mind with The Word - there is a reason this leads to transformation.  You can only win the battles in your mind by flooding it with truth. If we continue to think the same fearful and negative thoughts, we will remain the same or get worse.  Uproot negative thoughts by sowing the promises from God's word daily.  Write them down. Speak them out loud if necessary. Every time you have a negative thought, search the Word for a truth that counteracts it.  
• Refresh your spirit with Praise & Worship - its the only thing that can defeat the flesh and the enemy's attempt to discredit God.  Don't hold God prisoner to the emotions of your discomfort. Discomfort can quickly lead to discouragement and resentment toward God.  But when we praise God's character and worship His holiness, our reverence for Him leads to humility and gratefulness.  Then we are better able to withstand the discomfort trusting in the fact that God does not lie, change or fail no matter how things look or feel.

So my encouragement to you today, if you're in an uncomfortable place, is to face the discomfort head on and push through it. Don't retreat or return to your comfort zone. There is nothing left for you there.  Don't give up and give in to the temptation to take matters into your own hands. You'll make a mess that will only lengthen the process and make matters worse.  Don't quit the process because its taking too long. You're closer than you think. Keep going!

Choose to trust and wait for Him. He will deliver! Stand on the promise because it won't fail. Push through your emotions and temptations because what's in store for you is worth the wait, worth the fight and worth every minute the discomfort.  Don't be convinced by your fears or your flesh to abandon the course.  What's on the other side is the answer to your prayers, and I'm telling you it's worth it!  Stay focused!

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;   it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3

Poised Under Pressure

If I could use any word to sum up my life for the past few months, that word would have to be HURRICANE.

There have been so many things happening all at once.  Some things I can control, while there are many other things happening that are far beyond my control. In this time, I've had to manage a multitude of thoughts, anxieties, emotions, concerns, and fears whipping around in my heart and mind like hurricane force winds. 

At one point, it seemed as if the sheer pressure of all these feelings happening at once was going to overtake me! And if the pressure alone wasn't enough, right at the height of the pressure, the enemy decided to rear his ugly head with issues, distractions and options designed to pull me off focus. 

Has this ever happened to you? 

It's an old strategy of the enemy that works quite well if we are unprepared and unaware of his tricks.  You see, when we're under pressure, especially as women, we are less focused and our reasoning capabilities are impaired.  In this state, we are more likely to make rash/emotional decisions, react with extreme responses to minor situations, and take out our frustrations on those closest to us.

The reason for this is that we are naturally prone to avoid pressure.  We don't like the feeling of being cornered or overwhelmed, so our tendency is to seek comfort and relief.  This desire to avoid pressure is actually the root of so many of the bad decisions that we make.

If we are not focused, we will end up in sin and disobedience when we are under pressure.  And if the pressure gets strong enough, we will choose to compromise on our long term commitments for the sake of temporary relief. 

In fact, the pressure of any given situation combined with the enemy's "quick fix" options is a perfect storm.  It's precisely when the emotions are raging, frustrations are high, problems abound that your enemy and your flesh will convince you to solve your own problems, escape your discomfort and take out your intense feelings onto others.    

Have you ever had a major reaction to something your spouse or kids did or said, only to realize later that you completely OVER reacted because you were upset or frustrated about something that had nothing to do with them??

In my process, I've learned to take note of my behavior and responses during stressful seasons, (albeit sometimes after the fact) in order to assess my level of growth and maturity. Most of the time, seasons of pressure, stress and fatigue provide insight into my spiritual maturity and highlight the areas where I still need to grow. 

More specifically, it exposes those wicked things that are deeply hidden in my heart, unseen by anyone other than God, and provides the opportunity for me acknowledge those areas, choose to change them and ultimately get better.  Learning and getting better after you've escape the hurricane is wonderful! The process of enduring the pressure, however...not so much.

My prayer for you is that you remain poised when you are under pressure.  What do I mean by that? I mean, you must remain committed to God even when you have no idea what He is doing and it seems like He is just sitting idly by while all hell is breaking loose in your life (I promise you He is paying attention and He is working it out for your good!).

You must remain in character even when a situation or person tries to provoke an ugly response.  You must remain calm even in the face of chaotic situations.  You must remained focused on your own personal growth even when you're tempted to blame someone else for your problems.  And most importantly, you must remain committed to the truth of the Word of God, even in the face of strong temptations and quick fixes.

If you can remain poised under pressure, you'll manage through even the toughest situations with grace, dignity and character. You'll grow in patience, humility and meekness when you learn that nothing is so big and no one is so important that its worth lowering your standards and compromising your relationship with God. 

I know from experience that the pressures of life can be overwhelming.  Be they marriage issues, family struggles, financial concerns, health challenges, depression, divorce, stress or whatever...you name it, these things have the ability to threaten our sense of stability and security. 

So let me level with you: It is by no means easy to remain poised in the face of these things.  But I can promise you that no matter what you're facing, God will walk through it with you. He is paying attention to your circumstances and He is working it all out for your good.  Just trust Him. Stay focused and stay poised.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! Psalm 143:10

My sister, if you allow Him, God will teach you His ways and He will give you the peace, security and stability you so long for in your life. His Word says so!  You won't find it in a man. You won't find it in a romance novel. You won't find it in a glass of wine.  You won't find it in shoes, purses or clothes.  You will only find your heart's desire in the arms of your loving Father. He truly does have everything you need and desire, and He longs to bless you and give you a good life! 

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19

I don't know about you, but I WANT THE GOOD OF THE LAND!!!  :-)

Finding Your Purpose

Finding your purpose is one of the most important journeys you should undertake in your lifetime. If you’re wise, you’ll figure this out early in your life.  If you’re like me, you’ve figured it out later in life, after you’ve suffered through far too many purposeless experiences.  

Without purpose, you are likely to connect with almost anything that feels good. And mostly likely, you will do what I did for many many years…meander through life searching for purpose in a bunch of meaningless relationships, friendships, activities, etc.  Trust me. It’s a life you don’t want. It’s exhausting. It’s empty. It’s depressing. And most of all, it’s sooo beneath what God has planned for you.

I spent so many years unaware and unsure of my purpose in life. Because of this, I focused a great deal of efforts on trying to find significance in all sorts of things (and people).  I dated men I had no business dating. I found myself in places I had no business going.  I did things that I had no business doing.  And, I hung out with people and crowds with whom I had not one thing in common.  

My entire focus was trying to fill the void and find meaning for my life. So I sought out people, places, things and activities that had no purpose other than it was fun and/or it felt good at the time, and it fooled me into thinking that my life was good and I was happy for the moment. 

Have you ever looked back on your past and thought to yourself, “Really?!? Wow. Thank God for Jesus!”

Don’t make the same mistakes that I did. You must be intentional about finding your God-given purpose and then you must be focused and intentional about managing your life accordingly.  

Even if your life doesn’t mimic the wild behaviors of my past, a lack of purpose can have serious and long lasting consequences even still.  Activities and things, and even more so people, in your life that have no purpose are time stealers. 

We only have so much time in this life.  Time spent is either a waste or an investment.  If you choose to waste time, it is gone forever. If you invest it into purposeful things, you will reap future benefits from the place you invested it.

So say it with me: No purpose = No time!

A purposeful life is also a very liberating life because you are free from the pressures and expectations of others. When purpose shapes your life, unless something or someone fits directly into your purpose (regardless of who or what it is), you are free to decline.  

So at a minimum you should make sure that your purpose is the key driver for these things:

• Your priorities
• Who you date/marry,
• Who you befriend, 
• How you dress,
• How you manage money,
• How you speak, 
• How you treat others,
• How your spend your time/energy,
• What you post on social media!!! 
• And most importantly: how you behave - NOT just in public, but also when no one is watching. 

Do not waste time on things or people with no purpose because they also add no value to your life.  Not only that, when we give our time, energy and attention to un-purposeful things, it robs the same from divine purpose-filled things.  

Have you ever wondered why you run out of energy before you get everything done on your list? Or why you run out of patience with the kids, and all they did was asked you one question?  Answer: Lack of purpose shaped priorities.

Lastly, I know what you’re thinking: okay, Nicole, all this talk about this word “purpose,” but what exactly does this mean? First and foremost, your purpose and your reason for existence can only come from one place: Your Creator.  Only the Creator knows why this world needed you with your unique set of gifts and talents and why you're needed right now.

Personally, I know my #1 purpose is to serve and please God, so my goal is to allow that to influence and shape my decisions.  That means living out the principles found in His word in my every day life and making application of the things I've learned throughout the various experiences (good & bad) that I've had. 

It also involves being a godly wife to my husband and honoring him both in and outside of his presence. It involves training my children, modeling godliness and womanhood, and setting an example for them of Christian values. Lastly, it involves growing in character & integrity and allowing those to guide my behavior in the various environments that God places me. 

I did mention that this is a process, right?? Like you, I'm still growing! Some days I get it right. Some days...well, thank God for the blood of Jesus!

So that's my purpose.   Your responsibility is to find and live your life according to your purpose. Think about this, before you were born, this world was full of people with all sorts of gifts and talents. Yet, despite that, God decided that it was missing something important. That something was YOU. 

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations." Jer 1:5

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an easy process. You’ll have to give up the you that you have already created in exchange for the you that He wants you to become.  It can be scary because your version of yourself is fully within your control, while His version of you is totally up to Him. But if you cooperate, it will be totally worth it.

He’ll ask for many changes from you. He’ll ask for many sacrifices from you. He’ll ask for trust in the face of fear and patience in the face of delay.  But he will only ask. He will not force Himself upon you. He will not forcefully interject Himself into your life.  He chose you. Now, He wants you to choose Him.  

And if when He asks, you can muster up the courage to answer and say yes, then I can attest that He will give you, in return, a fully complete, wholly enjoyable, purpose-FULL life.

And my sister, once you have that, You. Will. Be. Unstoppable.

Overcoming Emotional Fatigue

 All I needed was a little rest.  I hoped a little sleep would allow me to escape the many frantic thoughts racing through my mind. I was so tired, exhausted from the overwhelming emotions inside my heart.  There was so much at stake.  I already couldn’t focus.  And then the phone rang.  “Oh gosh, not now. Why Lord? This is not the right time for this.” What to do. What to do!? I know the right way to handle this, but the wrong way feels so much better right now. 

I hate being emotionally fatigued. Stress, anxiety, worry, pain, discomfort, lack of control over my circumstances...all of these things lead to an overwhelming sense of fatigue in my mind and emotions.  It’s a very dangerous place for any woman because it makes us vulnerable and unstable. Personally, I recognize that it’s in this place that the enemy comes after me with his best offense. 

You see, when I’m battling intense emotions, if I’m not vigilant, it takes me “off my game” spiritually.  I don’t pay as much attention to the enemy because I’m soooo consumed with how I feel.  In this place, I’m at my weakest spiritually, and I lose sight of the fact that my enemy is always watching and walking about seeking whom he may devour. When I’m in a weakened state, I become his prime target.

The same goes for you.  I’m sure if you think back over the mistakes you’ve made or situations you’ve gotten caught up in, much like me it was during a time when you were spiritually weakened.  This weakened state was most likely prompted and accompanied by an overwhelming emotional place – heart-break, disappointment, loneliness, fear – any of these and so many other emotions, has the ability to weaken a woman spiritually. 

This is when the enemy attacks.  When you’re strong, he is waiting for the right opportunity.  He never backs off, but he’s in no hurry to attack you.  He knows that while you’re strong spiritually, it is more difficult to lure you away from your commitment to God.  It’s harder to catch you unaware and off guard.  So he waits, patiently, for he also knows that if you’re ever “off your game”, you’re vulnerable.  And this is when he will attack.

Have you ever wondered why your temptations seem heightened when you’re battling emotions?  Have you ever made stupid mistakes and then wondered afterwards how you fell for such an obvious trick of the enemy? 

It’s because when your emotions are heightened, your spirit is weakened and this is all the enemy and your flesh need to lead you astray.  This is why we are admonished to remain sober & vigilant at all times.  We can ill-afford to be caught off guard when the enemy attacks.  We have to be sober even in a weakened or emotional place.

When you’re battling emotions, you should never go into hiding and isolation. This is the danger zone!  Sure, it’s tempting to just stay away from everyone, not answer phone calls/texts or interact with anyone at all.  Bad idea! The reason this is dangerous is because when you are isolated, you hide from everyone except YOURSELF.  Say it with me: Danger! Danger!

Once alone with yourself and your emotions, the enemy has an even greater chance of convincing you to take one of his options because his options will always be directly associated with your desires and emotions.  You cannot fight the enemy alone in a weakened state. You need the help of others who can help you recognize his antics and fight them off.  

Because we are to bear each other’s burdens, when you’re weak, I need to be strong for you.  When I’m weak, I need you to be strong for me. There must be someone with whom you can share everything you’re thinking and feeling that is also capable of helping you overcome those emotions & feelings with principle & truth.  If you disengage from other believers while you are weak, you will fall into temptation and sin.  It’s inevitable.

So how do we avoid this trap as women? I mean really, God gave us these emotions, right? And certainly, He gave them to us for a reason, yeah? We obviously need them to be nurturing and caring women, wives & mothers. So how is it that our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness?? 

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." ~ Matthew 26:41

Although it is no easy feat, you and I are capable of overcoming emotional fatigue in a manner that protects our spiritual walk with God.  Here are a few things that I’ve learned throughout the many battles of my own. I try to practice them daily so that I’m never caught off guard.  I can’t promise you that you will ever conquer the emotional beast once and for all.  But I can tell you that if you stay sober and vigilant in your daily walk with God, you will get better at managing your emotions, even at the height of the battle.

·         Awareness – recognize and acknowledge when you’re emotional. You have to get good at recognizing your own emotional shifts.  Every woman is different and there are personal situations that provoke strong emotions in YOU specifically.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re immune to emotions. Part of being sober and vigilant is being aware of your own emotional triggers.  Take a moment to reflect on your triggers and write them down for your remembrance. 

·         Accountability – successful emotion management requires strong accountability.  Never shut yourself off from your accountability partner(s). No matter what you’re battling, you need someone with whom you can be completely naked and transparent.  We need to hold each other accountable and when necessary, stand guard & watch while the other one rebuilds her strength. 

·         Self-Control – regardless of how we feel, we are ALWAYS capable of making the right decision.  We are promised that no matter the temptation, God always provides a way of escape.  (1 Corin 10:13) Take it and take it immediately! The longer you engage temptation, the more likely you are to give into it.  Trust me; choosing righteousness, no matter how difficult, will always work out for your good. Choosing unrighteousness, no matter how much better it feels in the moment, will always end poorly and lead to unpleasant consequences that last much longer than the moment.  Choose wisely.

 Have a great week!

Embracing change, managing emotions & seizing the opportunity to grow!

Embracing change is not an easy task.  I don’t know about you, but I love being comfortable. I like knowing what to expect.  I like routine.

The problem with this is that I also love growing. I enjoy reaching new milestones in my life and walk with God.  I cherish those moments when I can think back a year ago or even 3 years ago and see the difference in my life. 


As I think about the various things I've gone through over the past few years, I can see how God has used those experiences to grow me and how wonderful my life is now as a result.  I'm thankful that God loves me enough to provoke the change He desires in me, even if I don't like it at the time.  What I also realize is that without my cooperation throughout the process, I would still be in the same place I was all those years ago, and that, my friend, would be a tragedy.  

Nonetheless, in the moment, the process of change can be very scary. For me, it provokes emotions in me that threaten to overwhelm and disrupt my entire purpose.  It strips away my comfort zones and leaves me feeling vulnerable.  

It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear…It’s like being between trapezes.  It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer.  There’s nothing to hold on to.  -- Marilyn Ferguson, American futurist

Although the process of change creates a seemingly unstable place, whenever I have been able to successfully embrace it and seize the opportunity to grow, I have found that the result is greater than I could have ever expected.  You see, change forces us to pray more, seek Him at a greater level, listen for His voice more attentively and obey His Word more quickly.  That translates into increased faith and manifestation of His Will for our lives.

That's if we are serious about growing and experiencing the promises of God for real. Otherwise, change causes us to become angry and rebellious, return to sin and carnal habits, seek out quick fixes and empty sources of pleasure, and totally get off course and out of the will of God.  That's a dangerous place for anyone.   

How you manage yourself through the various changes that God allows in your life will determine whether you grow or remain as you are.  I can tell you this. Growing is down right hard, but remaining the same is worse than death.

I've watched God do amazing things in my life through change processes that I could have sworn were designed to make me go crazy.  Seven years ago, I lost custody of my sons, and I thought for certain I had lost my reason for living.  I was so distraught.  I was angry, hurt, depressed, lost, heart-broken and confused. Most of all, I was overwhelmed with pain.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2

My sister, I've watched God use my toughest challenge to develop a faith in Him that cannot be shaken. I've watched him take my pain, my tears, my frustrations, even my confusion and give me stability, clarity, confidence, significance and purpose.  He had a divine plan all along, and through the pain of my process, He delivered on His promise.  He kept His Word.

I'm not here to tell you that the process was easy. There were days I wanted to throw in the towel and abandoned His will for my own.  I did not like the change nor the emotions that came with it.  But trust me, embracing the change was key to unlocking my next level of purpose. 

As I've said, its not at all easy, and as women, we are more prone than men to suffer the emotional roller coaster that change causes.  But you can get through it if you will remain committed to His will for your life and trust that His plan is working for your good.

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. Jeremiah 29:11

Remember, God never wastes a situation. Every situation, good or bad, easy or difficult, big or small is a divine blessing and opportunity from God for us to grow. We just have to be willing to endure the process.

You have to be resilient when the wave of emotions threatens to overtake you. You have to get up quickly whenever something knocks you flat on your face.  In a nutshell, you have to be tougher than the challenge you’re facing.   You have to be stronger than the emotions you’re feeling.

How tough are you?  Do you wallow in the varying emotions that accompany your changes/difficulties? Do you spend more time complaining and crying about the change or situation than facing it? Do you waste time being angry at God or others and searching for someone to blame? Or do you put on your big-girl panties, manage yourself even at the height of your emotions and face the change head on?

You have to stand in the face of change or difficulty and know that at the end of the process lies the promise of God for your life, the answer to the prayers you’ve been praying, and the faith required to walk in your new level of purpose.  

And then, you must go!

I cannot effectively describe for you what God has done in my life over the last seven years because it has been such a mind-blowing journey. He restored me. He redeemed me. He loved me. And most of all, He remembered me.  He remembered His promise, and He kept it. He remembered my prayers, and He answered them. He heard my cry, and He comforted me.  

He made me stronger than ever, but first, I had to be destroyed. My will. My flesh. My wants and desires. My habits and ways. All of it had to go. I had to be willing to suffer through the changes He required in order to receive the blessing.

My sister, now is your time to go! Now is your time to grow!
  

You cannot become paralyzed by fear.

You cannot waste time focused on the past.

You cannot throw a tantrum because you’re uncomfortable.

You cannot rebel and refuse to cooperate with God’s plan.

You must go!

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

There is more waiting on the other side for you.  More of God! More of His Promise! More of You!  On the other side of every wilderness (change) is His promise.  Don't miss the promise because you refuse to cooperate with the change God is requiring.  

Moses had been with Israel a long time but He was not the one who would lead them into Canaan.  It would be Joshua.  Perhaps this was a difficult change for Israel. They knew Moses. Trusted him and his leadership. They were accustomed to him. They were comfortable with him. They knew what to expect from him.  

But Moses was their past. God had a different plan for their future.

Think about how unfortunate it would have been if Israel had missed out on Canaan because they refused to follow Joshua simply because he was not Moses?  

What about you? Will you go with God into your promise? Or will you stay in the wilderness and mourn for Moses?

Sister girl, if God has orchestrated a change in your life recently, it’s time to start preparing for the journey.  If you've had the wind knocked out of you, it’s time to get up, shake yourself off, take a deep breath, put on some mascara and lip-gloss and handle your business!

Make it happen!