by Altimese Nichole | Oct 25, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Every day, we have great power through the use of our words. We can speak life to our circumstances or we can speak what we see and feel into the atmosphere. Our words can brighten our day or remind us of the gloom or difficulty in our lives.
Although much easier said than done, here are some tips that can help you fuel your words to the direction you desire.
- Read your Bible
The Word of God is full of amazing words or wisdom when it comes to the power of words, our thoughts, and our feelings. If you’re struggling in this area, I encourage you to read with the clear intention and direction. Make it a point to find all of the scriptures involving our words and study those scriptures. If initial studying is slightly difficult with you, check out our articles called Using SOAP with God.
- Review Yearly Goals
Writing goals help us to stay focused on the things that matter when our feelings of motivation as left us. Reading and reviewing our goals help us to keep in mind the bigger picture when the journey becomes tougher than we expected. When we remind ourselves of our WHY, we encourage ourselves through the HOW.
- Listen to motivational videos and podcasts
Though technology, we can chose to be reactive to the information we receive or be intentionally proactive with the type of content we let into our lives. Through Facebook, our timelines are full of things and people we CHOOSE to follow and connect ourselves with. Want more positivity? Simply add more positive things and people to your friends list and pages, while hiding the negativity. Simply click the hide button over status updates or go to the person’s page and click unfollow updates. This leaves the friendship or connection intact without the interference of your desired timeline environment. YouTube “Motivational videos†and the “Power of Your Word,†and prepare to fill up with great content.
We all get off course with our words, and that’s okay! It’s up to recognize when we get off course and be intentional about getting back on track. Use your words to fuel your success, love life, and future. Your words contain power so be very intentional about the power you’ve been given.
by Torrie Oglesby | Sep 21, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
We live in a culture that is extremely goal oriented, which is not a bad thing. Goals help us to move forward and to succeed in areas that we want to succeed in. Goals help us get the job we want, the house we want, and maybe even the body that we want. We plan our little hearts out, making sure to not miss a step and almost putting our plans before everything, even Gods will. We think we have it all together so we go on in life pursuing our goals and planning everything out that we rarely stop to ask God, “Lord what would you have me do today? Where would you have me go? What is your will for me?â€
Personally, I didn’t ask that question in my past, because I wasn’t ready to hear the answer. I wasn’t ready to give up my idea of “The American Dreamâ€. I wasn’t ready to face that possibly God would call me to pick up my cross and follow him, even if it isn’t comfortable and perfect. So I went on in my life, planning away and you know what happened? The longer I ran from Gods call on my life, the longer my plans kept falling apart.
Door after door would just shut. My husband and I would plan and then it would fall apart. A lot of people in our lives probably thought we were flaky, had no plan, and were just flying by the seat of our pants, little did they know, it wasn’t US destroying the plans, it was someone GREATER for something GREATER.
Today, if you’re in a season where everything seems to be falling apart and not making a lot of sense I want to encourage you that it could actually be the complete opposite. The Bible tells us that MANY are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lords purpose that prevails. Meditate on that scripture for a moment. In order for His purpose to prevail, our plans have to crumble. It’s actually really encouraging knowing that when things are crumbling in your life, it could be that Gods plan is prevailing. You’re welcome to scream and shout right now!
In the midst of waiting, know that he is setting everything up working all things together for good, for those who are called according to his PURPOSE (Romans 8:28). My favorite example of this in the Bible is in Nehemiah chapter 1 and 2. In short, Nehemiah learns of Jerusalem’s devastation (the city has been destroyed) the first thing he does is mourn for his people for days and then he prays and fast. Then he waits on the Lord, for FOUR months he willingly waits while praying and fasting. Then the moment comes when he is called to willingly act before the King and because he has waited on the Lord, the timing is perfect and the King shows him favor. I’m going to encourage you to read more of Nehemiah in your free time to find out what happens, it’s good and you’ll be blessed.
But the moral of it all, is to wait willingly on the Lord’s purpose to prevail. Do not act before your time and even when it looks like all is lost and everything is falling apart, trust that God is setting it up for His purpose and His glory.
“Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; WAIT for the LORD.â€
Psalms 27:14
With love and big smiles,
Torrie.
by Altimese Nichole | Sep 21, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
It is said that you can tell where one’s heart resides by the things (or people) he or she spends the most time and money. It’s a very true statement but can I be honest? As I type this I feel conviction in my spirit. As a woman of God, I say (and truly believe) that God is the most important in my life. But is that reflecting in my time with him? Do I talk to him daily and allow time of silence so I can truly hear His voice when he responds? What about my time in His word. Can that be better?
Absolutely.
However, in all transparency—I knew that I had to do more than simply read. I had to STUDY. I did a bit of research on how to truly study the Word of God as a beginner (meaning a newbie at truly studying and digesting the context of God’s word). While searching, I found this amazing method called SOAP.
The acronym, SOAP means “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.†How amazing is that? It helps the people like me create a bit of focus and structure to my study time. I seek a scripture that I want to set my mind on for the day, and follow the soap method to go a bit deeper into my time with God. It’s helped me a lot with doing more than just reading—but truly finding ways to apply what I’m reading to my life.
What methods do you use to study the Bible?
by Nadya Logan | Aug 27, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
Charles Stanley once said, “Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins,”
Recently I went through an experimental period with my DVR, and I happened to stumble upon a show that caught my interest briefly. The show featured one of my favorite actresses from my younger years, Elizabeth Gilles, and despite me being moderately confused about the episode’s plot due to coming in nearly 20-minutes into the 30-minute program, I was immensely intrigued by a concept introduced.
During a heart-to-heart moment between Gilles’ character and her father, the daughter began to explain to father about how his fear of success is tied to The Jonah Complex.
There is a popular biblical story often referred to as the story of Jonah and the Whale. In short, the story goes as follows:
God sent Jonah to Ninevah. Nineveh was an enemy of Jonah’s country, Israel. So, Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh.
Jonah tried to escape God. He tried to travel elsewhere, by ship. But there was a terrible storm. Jonah knew that God had caused the storm. So, he asked the sailors to throw him into the sea. But Jonah did not drown, because God sent a whale (large fish) to swallow Jonah. Then, Jonah prayed to God again. He thanked God, who had rescued him (Jonah 2). And God caused the fish to return Jonah to the dry land.*
So, Jonah went to Nineveh. He warned the people that they must confess their evil deeds to God. Otherwise, God would destroy their nation. The people obeyed Jonah. So, God forgave the people in Nineveh. God did not destroy Nineveh at this time.
But Jonah was sad, because Nineveh was his enemy. Jonah wanted God to destroy Nineveh. But God told Jonah that God cares about the people from every nation.
The Jonah Complex is a theory created by Abraham Maslow—first introduced the theory in his book titled, “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature—that is based off of the famous biblical story.
The theory suggests that despite understanding our duties and responsibilities (in life and as children of God), we often try to evade our missions out of fear—similarly to Jonah.
“It is certainly possible for most of us to be greater than we are in actuality. We all have unused potentialities or not fully developed ones…So often we run away from the responsibilities dictated (or rather suggested) by nature, by fate, even sometimes by accident, just as Jonah tried—in vain—to run away from his fate…We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments, under the most perfect conditions, under conditions of greatest courage.” –Abraham Maslow in “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature”
We are afraid of the unknown. As humans, it’s considered natural, but before reading this theory had I never stopped to consider the effects that my fear was putting on me fulfilling my dreams or aspirations, nevertheless my destiny.
There are so many things that I wanted to do, and probably could have done, but I allowed myself to be crippled my own fear.
I held myself back because it seemed better to do that instead of facing my problems head on and accepting the consequence that followed.
In life our possibilities are endless, yet we limit ourselves due to trepidation that we carry on our own.
How are your fears holding you back from walking in your purpose?
What can you do to unbind yourself from the chains of fear?
*The credit for the summary of Jonah goes to: http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-outline/jonah-summary.htm
by Torrie Oglesby | Aug 27, 2015 | Faith + Expressions
Did you know, that from the time a girl reaches puberty until about the age of 50, she is twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder as a man? Anxiety disorders also occur earlier in women than in men as well and women are also more likely to have multiple psychiatric disorders during their lifetime than men. As if that is isn’t enough, the most common mental disease to co-occur with anxiety is depression. (www.adaa.org)
This is disturbing. It breaks my heart that so many of my sisters out there are fighting a battle within their minds against anxiety and depression. I have not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression, but I do struggle with worrying and deep thoughts sometimes weigh me down. Minutes before writing this, I was so anxious that I couldn’t focus on what I wanted to do. I would read my book for a second, then surf the internet, then write and then look at my phone. I’m aware of my body, spirit and mind and they all were completely out of order and antsy. I became aware quickly that something was off and maybe I just needed to spend a moment with God. I shut the computer, threw my phone across the room, grabbed my prayer journal and poured out my spirit. I started with a heart of thanks and asked for forgiveness and went into proclaiming that Jesus has the victory over everything.
After that, I began to pray for others who were specifically on my heart in that moment. Everyone I prayed for had a common need and the need was God’s peace. I felt in my spirit to then proclaim peace over everyone in my circle of influence. I feel like creation as a whole is searching and crying out for Gods peace. I then let the Holy Spirit lead me to scripture and to no surprise, he lead me to Judges 6:23-24:
The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
   Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t have found that scripture without the Holy Spirit prompting me to, I mean when was the last time I read judges? (The answer is never.) We search everywhere trying to find peace and the only place to find it is in Him and through His word. When we rest in his promises peace overflows and when we realize who He is (THE LORD IS PEACE) all doubt, fear, anxiety, depression and sadness have no place.
Sweet girl, the Lord Is Peace so stop worrying yourself. Trust that He is holding you and carrying for you. He is so close to you, he’s for you and he sees you. My prayer is that he covers you, me and anyone struggling with fears with His blanket of peace. Whenever you feel anxiety, depression, or fear creeping into your space and spirit chant this mantra of HIS promises:
“THE LORD IS PEACE. THE LORD IS PEACE. THE LORD IS PEACE.â€
With love and big smiles,
torrie
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